Whatever You Need
by Jen1008
Summary: Postepisode fic for The Beginning the season finale of season five. This is what happens when Danny stops by Elena's after work. This fic explore the what might happen with Carlos and the DannyJack tension. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes – I think I'm on the D/E bandwagon now. I wasn't sure about it at first, but I love the sweetness it brings out in Danny. This is a post-episode fic for The Beginning.

* * *

Wearily rubbing his eyes, Danny walked up the last couple of flights to the third floor. He hadn't been back here in two months, and even though he felt good about being there, he hated the circumstances under which he had been invited._Two Months Ago _

_Danny smiled as he put the pink Disney princess cup and plate in the dishwasher. This was definitely different for him, spending an evening with a gorgeous woman and her adorable, precocious daughter, but that's just what he'd been doing for the last month. He'd been seeing Elena outside of work for almost a month, and they still hadn't been on what he would call a regular date. No late night dinners, dancing at clubs or long, intimate evenings alone, but that was fine with him. He was finding that spending any time with Elena and Sophie, in any capacity, was more than enough. He hadn't felt this excited and happy about anything in a very long time._

"_You don't have to do that," he heard Elena say from behind him as she entered the kitchen._

_Danny turned around and smiled. "It was just a couple of dishes."_

_Elena returned the smile. "Sorry that took so long. She couldn't stop talking about the concert."_

_Danny smirked. "I can understand why. I'll be hearing that girl's voice in my sleep for months."_

_Laughing, Elena closed the distance between them. "You deserve a medal for sitting through that. Now you know what I go through every night when she puts in that CD."_

"_Poor you," he replied as he snaked his hands around the small of her back to pull her against him. _

_Her breath caught at the just the feeling of his body so close to hers. Biting her lip, she raised up on her tiptoes._

_Slowly, Danny lowered his head and brushed his lips against hers. She parted her lips and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss as he turned her around and backed her against the kitchen counter. _

_She almost giggled as he moved his lips down to her neck. Very quickly, their encounter became heated and passionate as his hands roamed over her body._

_They'd only slept together twice since that first time he'd kissed her in the office, both times at his apartment while her mother was with Sophie. And she had yet to spend a night with him, feeling too guilty about leaving Sophie all night. Their limited physical contact meant that each kiss, each caress was agonizing – knowing that they wouldn't get to spend the kind of time together that they both wanted._

_As Elena felt Danny's hand slide up the back of her blouse, she tensed slightly when he started to unhook her bra. _

"_What?" he breathed against her ear. _

"_Nothing…I…just…" she started, but didn't want to finish. She didn't want to tell him to stop._

"…_want me to stop?" he asked, as he looked in her eyes._

"_I don't want you to, but…"_

_Danny smiled as he kissed her on the forehead. "It's okay. I got it," he responded as he removed his hand and put a little distance between them._

"_Maybe I can stop by your place this weekend? Sophie has a birthday party to go to. It's only a couple of hours, but—"_

_Danny put his finger against her lips. "It's okay, Elena. Don't worry. We have time."_

_Smiling gratefully, Elena wrapped her arms around his neck and they held each other tightly._

Danny shook his head as he thought about the last time he was in Elena's apartment. Looking back, they really hadn't had any time all. So much had happened in the last couple of months. He was honestly beginning to think that he had lost any chance with her after the debacle of Sophie's kidnapping. But now, the tide had turned. Carlos had been set free and Elena had asked him to come over for Sophie's sake and for hers. He hated that Carlos was out there somewhere, but he couldn't help but feel happy to be with them again.

Taking a short breath, he knocked on the door. After a few moments, the door opened and Elena welcomed him with a relieved smile.

"Hey," she greeted in a quiet tone.

"Hey," he replied as he stepped inside the apartment.

As she closed the door, they just stood and stared at each other for a moment. Even though they'd gotten very close, very fast, now they couldn't help but feel a little awkward since he hadn't been there since Sophie's kidnapping.

Trying to break the ice, Danny smiled and started to take a step towards Elena, when he heard the unmistakable sound of Sophie.

"Danny!" she exclaimed as she came out of her bedroom.

Turning quickly, Danny locked eyes with the small child. Without hesitation, she ran into his outstretched arms.

"Como estas, chica," he said as he stroked her long, black hair.

"I've missed you. Why don't you come see us anymore?" Sophie asked innocently as she pulled away and looked at him with huge, brown eyes.

"Baby—" Elena started to explain, but Danny interrupted.

"Things have been crazy for your mom and me at work. But things have calmed down now, and I missed you terribly, so here I am."

Sophie smiled excitedly. "Guess what!"

"What?" Danny asked, enchanted by the look in her eyes.

"Mommy bought me the new Hannah Montana CD. You want to come listen to it with me?"

Elena sighed heavily. "Sophie, baby—"

But Danny interrupted again. "I'd love to! Lead the way," he said as he took Sophie's hand and tossed Elena an amused glance.

Elena laughed as she called out to them. "Don't mind me. I'm just going to finish dinner."

* * *

"Danny?"

"Si, mija," he replied as he turned down her bed.

They'd had a wonderful evening. They'd eaten dinner and then spent time talking and laughing. Danny had even read her a couple of books. Then, Elena forced Sophie to tear herself away from Danny to take a bath and get ready for bed. As Elena cleaned up after the bath, Danny was helping Sophie into bed.

"Will you stay with us tonight?" Sophie asked as she slid into her bed.

After pulling the blanket over her, Danny sat on the edge of the bed. "Why would you ask that?"

"Daddy is out of jail. I don't want him to take me away from Mommy again. If you're here, you won't let him."

Danny reached out and tucked her hair behind her ear. "Sophie, sweetheart, you're safe here with your mom. She can protect you. Remember, she was there to get you when your dad took you to that house."

"You were there, too," Sophie reminded him.

"I was and I didn't want to be anywhere else, but it was your mom who got you out of there. You don't have anything to be scared of," he assured in a calming tone.

"My Dad scared me," she said, voice fearful.

Danny took a breath as he summoned the strength to ease Sophie's fears. "Your father loves you very much. Sometimes, parents get confused about how to show you that they care about you. Your dad made a terrible mistake, and I'm sure he regrets it. But, Sophie, he would never hurt you. I've known your dad a long time, and I know he would never hurt you."

Sophie smiled slightly. "You could still stay, though. Mommy said she'd make pancakes in the morning."

Danny returned the smile. "I don't--"

"Sophie, baby, it's time for bed," Elena said from behind them.

Upon hearing her voice, Danny leaned down and kissed Sophie's forehead. "Sweet dreams, mija. You're safe here. Remember that."

Sophie just nodded and smiled as Danny rose from the bed and turned toward Elena. "I'll let you…" he said as he motioned toward Sophie.

Elena sat down at the edge of the bed as Danny left the room. He waited a moment outside of Sophie's door as he listened to Elena say goodnight to her. She sang her a song and then told her that she loved her.

Minutes later, Elena came down the hall to find Danny standing by the front door.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a disappointed tone.

"Oh, I, um, I just thought I'd, you know, go…get out of your way. I think Sophie's going to be okay. And um, Jack mentioned that he was going to have a patrol unit outside your building for the next week or so, so I think—"

As Danny rambled on, Elena walked towards him. When she finally got close enough to him, she put her finger against his lips to stop the rambling. Then, slowly, she rose up on her tiptoes. Removing her finger from his lips, she then kissed him softly, hesitantly.

After a few moments, Danny broke the kiss. "What was that for?" he whispered.

Elena smiled. "Thank you for saying what you said to Sophie. Thank you for telling her that I can protect her. I'm still not really sure I can, but it's nice to hear," she said as her eyes filled with tears.

"Of course, you can," Danny said as her pulled her to him and put his arms around her. "You got her out of that house. You did that."

"I should never have let things get so bad with Carlos. I—"

"That was my fault. He lost it when I got involved."

Elena pulled away from him to look him in the eyes. "It wasn't your fault, and I'm sorry I made you feel like it was, but I didn't know what to do, Danny. I just wanted to protect Sophie. I just wanted for her to forget about what happened. I don't regret being with you. I promise, I don't. I just regret the way I handled things with Carlos."

Danny nodded as he stroked her arms. "Me, too."

Reaching up, she put her hand on his cheek. "Stay for a while?"

Smiling slightly, Danny nodded as he let her take his hand and lead him to the couch.

* * *

They hadn't said much in the last half hour. Danny stroked her hair as she rested her head against his chest. He couldn't think of anything he could say to make things better for her, so the least he could do was just be there to comfort her.

As if sensing his thoughts, Elena finally spoke. "You've been incredibly patient with all of this. I can't tell you how much I appreciate that."

"I wish I could do something, anything, to fix this for you, but—"

"Just you being here like this makes it better," she said as she nuzzled deeper into his chest. "Everyone has been so supportive. Sam, Vivian, Martin…I've never worked with people who care about me and Sophie like that."

"They're good people. We're all lucky to have each other," Danny responded in a knowing tone.

"And Jack…he was…he was a rock through the whole court thing."

Rolling his eyes, Danny smirked. "I bet he was."

Frowning, Elena looked up at him. "He was, Danny. He did everything he could—"

"Not everything," he interrupted, contempt creeping into his tone.

"What do you mean?"

Danny shook his head. "Nothing. Let's just drop it."

"No, tell me," she said as she sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. Seeing the anger in his eyes, Elena shook her head as she realized what he was referring to. "Jack was right to stop you from shooting Carlos, Danny."

"None of this would be happening, if I could have ended it that night."

Running her hands through her hair, Elena sighed deeply. "You're right. _This_ wouldn't be happening, but what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Carlos was your friend, Danny. You couldn't shoot—"

"You and Sophie were in danger and you could be in danger again. Jack should have let me take the shot."

"If that had happened, I wouldn't be able to forgive myself for what it would have done to you. This thing with Carlos will resolve eventually. He'll move on or move away…whatever. But if you had taken his life, Sophie's father's life, your old friend's life, you would have to live with that guilt forever. That's not you, Danny. Jack did the right thing."

Danny rubbed the corners of his eyes. "I wish I had the same faith that Carlos would go away."

"If he does anything, if he comes near us, he'll go back to jail," Elena said, her tone seeming more like she was trying to convince herself of that.

Seeing the uneasiness in her eyes and hearing the fear in her voice, Danny put his hand in her hair and pulled her back to wear her head was resting on his chest. "You're right. It's going to work out and everything will be okay," he soothed as he stroked her hair again.

Leaning his head back against the couch, he kept holding her until she fell asleep in his arms. When he was sure she was out, he slowly extricated himself from under her and laid her down on the sofa. Taking a blanket from the adjacent chair, he covered her. As he ran his hand through her hair one more time, her eyes fluttered slightly.

"Are you leaving?" she whispered sleepily.

"Yeah, it's late. I'll call you in the morning," he said as he leaned in and kissed her forehead.

"Okay," she responded as she closed her eyes again.

After making sure her door was locked securely, Danny made his way down the hall and down the stairs. As he walked out of the building, he looked around the quiet street and nodded to the patrol car that was parked by her building.

The pit in his stomach told him that Carlos was somewhere close by…waiting, watching. Part of him had wanted to stay, just as Sophie had asked him to, but he knew Elena wasn't ready for that. And he didn't want to give Sophie false hope that he'd be in her life for the long haul. For now, he'd just be whatever Elena needed him to be, hoping that some day she will feel the same about him that he feels about her.


	2. Chapter 2

Edited to add missing section is chapter 2

Notes – This was just going to be a one-shot, but then I decided to incorporate some drabbles I had already written on a D/E forum. This chapter tells a little about what they were thinking Post-Candy and Post-Eating Away.

* * *

Working with someone you're crazy about is harder than it looks, Danny thought as he tried to focus on his paper work. Suddenly, he had a new appreciation for Martin and even, Samantha. They had worked side by side for months, while they were in whatever kind of relationship they were in, and Danny only knew about it because he'd caught them in a few moments here and there.

This is why Danny had always vowed never to get involved with someone at work, especially with the kind of work they do. How could he not want to greet her each morning with a kiss? How could he not be more and more worried when she is put in dangerous situations? It wasn't in Danny's make-up to keep this kind of thing a secret – not that they were really keeping it a secret. Before Sophie's kidnapping, they had made a habit of leaving together after work. And anytime they could get away for lunch, they would. So everyone knew, but he and Elena still tried to keep things professional. They'd done a good job of it when they first got together. But now that they were getting closer again, it was getting harder.

Truthfully, his feelings started long before he'd kissed her. The moment Carlos had introduced them, seven years ago, he'd thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. But then, things went south with Carlos and Elena, and Carlos painted her as a tease that never let him see their daughter. Danny had known there was likely more to the story, but he had supported Carlos as any friend would.

Then, Elena had come to work for the team. At first, he'd found the situation highly amusing, because she was clearly not happy about working with him. But very quickly, those feelings subsided. He'd realized that she was just a hard-working agent and mother who was doing her best. And Danny grew to respect that immensely. That respect turned into a good working relationship and eventually, just like with the rest of the team, he'd considered her a friend.

That's where things started to get complicated because she was now a friend who he had always been attracted to. As it turned out, that had sent Danny down a road where his feelings for her deepened day-by-day.

He had no idea how far gone he was until they worked on the case of the missing stripper. He almost couldn't believe it when Jack had told him that he was going to send Elena undercover. This idea had seemed preposterous, but then he'd remembered that she'd had experience with this type of undercover work when she worked on the vice decoy squad.

When Jack had told him to be Elena's back up at the club, he'd almost laughed. Working undercover at a strip club screamed cheesy 80's cop show, but Jack seemed to think this was their best shot at finding their missing person. And after Danny had met Noah, the missing person's son, he'd suddenly felt very compelled to reunite him with his mother no matter what.

Staying focused on the job became even more complicated when he and Elena had to "perform" for the sleazy guy who supplemented his income by blackmailing clients with sex tapes. Even though Danny had tried to make light of the situation to make Elena comfortable, he couldn't help but come away from the experience feeling more attracted to her than ever.

_Danny watched the cab drive away and the nervous feeling in his stomach started to subside. He couldn't remember the last time he'd felt that feeling…the feeling of being nervous around a woman. He'd felt attracted. He'd felt the physical need to be with someone. But it had been forever since he'd felt nervous._

_There was a girl in college once. He'd thought she was too good for him, but he asked her out anyway. He'd thought he could fake it. He'd thought he could make her fall for him. He'd done a good job of it for a while. She'd thought she'd fallen in love with him. But before too long, she'd seen his true colors. She'd gotten tired of the drinking, the mood swings and the hangovers. She'd left without turning back, even thought he'd promised her that he'd get help. She turned out to be as smart as she was beautiful._

_The cab faded from view, but he was still stuck to the same place on the sidewalk. He'd wanted to kiss Elena again, but he'd settle for touching her one last time by brushing her cheek ever so slightly._

After that night, Danny had done all he could do to stifle his growing feelings. Asking Elena out would be too complicated. They worked together. She had a kid, his old friend's daughter. It couldn't possibly work, he'd thought to himself. But the more time that had passed, the harder it had become to ignore his feelings.

When Carlos had forced him into situation where he had to admit his feelings, there was no turning back. He'd grown to care so much for Elena that he couldn't possibly betray her by staying loyal to his old friend. Making that decision to stand by Elena set off a chain reaction of events, some good and some very bad, but all had led to where they were at that moment – with him being more in love with her than ever before.

* * *

"_It's what he didn't do that turned me on more," thought Elena as she tilted her head back in the cab. Sure he was a good kisser, but she'd kind of expected that. He'd moved in the sexiest of ways. She'd expected that as well. But it had been when he touched her or, rather, hadn't touched her that had made her crazy. _

_They both knew the score. They were being taped. This was their job. But everything about it still felt really good, and inevitably, they got caught up in the moment. When she was on top of him and kissing him, she felt his hands graze the small of her back, but just as quickly he'd pulled them away. Instead, he'd held his hands back on the pillow or touched her hair and face, but had been very careful not to touch her body._

_Feeling his fingers graze her skin like that almost sent her into orbit, because she knew in that moment what he'd be capable of if they weren't two agents working on a job. She knew that if he had touched her, then they both would have lost all control._

_Opening her eyes to stop herself from fantasizing, Elena shook her head. She shouldn't be thinking like this. She shouldn't let herself get caught up in him. Working together made it a bad idea. Their history made it an even worse idea. And yet, when he touched her cheek at the end of the night, all of that was very far away. And once again, it was what he hadn't done that had affected her even more._

Elena stood in a kind of trance-like state as she thought about the night that Danny had helped her get Sophie after working the tragic case of the missing stripper. Before that night, she'd only thought of Danny as someone whom she had become friends and colleagues with. Of course, she'd always thought he was attractive, sexy even, from the moment Carlos had introduced them all those years ago. But his friendship with Carlos and the fact that he'd written a letter of support when Carlos had filed for visitation when Sophie was a baby had made her hate Danny. She hadn't imagined ever overcoming those negative feelings – that is, until she started to work with him.

When Elena had been assigned to Jack Malone's team, she had prayed it was temporary, mostly because a job on Jack's Malone's teams meant long and unpredictable hours, whereas a job in white collar would be the nine-to-five work that would make her a more dependable mother. The other reason she dreaded working on Jack's team had been because she knew that Danny Taylor had worked for Jack for several years. She hated the thought of working with the cocky, arrogant, old friend of Carlos's.

But when Jack made it clear that the transfer was permanent, she knew she had to get over her negative feelings very quickly. She and Danny would have to work together whether she liked it or not. As it had turned out, it was much easier than she had anticipated. Was he still a bit cocky and arrogant? Yes. But behind all of that, Elena had found a deeply compassionate, smart agent who she, more often than not, learned a great deal from. He'd grown so much from the man that Carlos had first introduced her to. Sometimes, Elena found herself almost emotional when she would witness his compassion in action, like when he'd comforted Cole Warren in his last moments alive at that bus station.

In short order, she'd forgotten about Danny's loyalty to Sophie's father. That's why she had been completely thrown off guard when her lawyer had informed her that Danny was on Carlo's witness list. And then all the good will and respect she'd felt for Danny came to a screeching halt.

When she had confronted Danny, telling him that Carlos had intended to fight her for custody, she could see the confusion and regret in his eyes. But it hadn't mattered to her. All that had mattered was Sophie. So when he had come to her that night in the office to tell that he wasn't going to support Carlos, she had been so relieved and touched by his change of heart. When she'd asked him why he had changed his mind, she had been caught completely off guard when he'd come toward her and kissed her. But as unprepared as she was by his display of affection, she couldn't help but respond to him. Deep down, she'd been yearning for another moment like this since that night of their undercover operation. She knew it would get complicated, but in that moment when he kissed her, she didn't care.

_To say they had been lost in the moment was an understatement. They had completely forgotten that they were in the middle of the office. As their lips parted and he looked in her eyes, he smiled. She could tell he was almost relieved that she had returned to kiss. _

_He was about to say something when they heard the sounds of voices coming down the hallway. As if they were two teenagers, the jumped apart only to find that the voices were coming from two maintenance workers._

_They both laughed slightly as the two people walked down the hallway._

_Danny started to speak first. "I, um—"_

_Raising her hand to stop him, Elena bit her lip before responding, "Before you say anything, think about what I just said. This isn't a good time for me to get involved with anyone, let alone…you, Danny."_

_Danny sighed deeply and then ran a hand through his hair. "Don't you get it yet?" he asked he stepped towards and put his hand against her cheek. "I'm already involved."_

Rolling her eyes, Elena smiled at the memory.

"What's so funny?" Samantha asked as she walked up beside her in the break room.

Shaking the memory from her head, Elena responded, "Nothing."

"You know for someone who's been going through an awful lot, you seem to be handling it really well," Samantha said as she poured a cup of coffee.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you look happy again. I'm glad you aren't letting the fact the Carlos got off bring you down."

"It's hard, knowing he's out there, but there's nothing I can do except keep Sophie safe."

"Yeah, but that doesn't explain the dreamy look on your face when I walked in here."

Elena smiled again. "It's…it's—"

Samantha smirked. "It's good that you are letting Danny help you through this."

Closing her eyes, Elena let out a small sigh. "It is good. It's really good."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N – Sorry this has taken so long to update. I'll post more frequently now. Unless season six provides some D/E inspiration, then this fic will just follow the storyline from season five. Elena and Danny are figuring out where to go next in their relationship now that Carlos is out of jail. So this chapter and the rest of this fic takes place after The Beginning from season five.

* * *

It was almost noon and Danny's eyes were crossing because he'd been reviewing phone records for over two hours. The team had what they thought was a break in an old case, but the phone records from the lost cell phone weren't panning out. Looking up restlessly, he rubbed his eyes and then ran his hands through his hair as he let out a heavy sigh. 

"Nothing, huh?" Martin said, looking up from the center table.

"Not a damn thing," Danny replied as he turned toward Martin in his chair.

"Me, either. I think this lead was too good to be true."

Danny nodded. "Nothing like false hope to break up the monotony of a slow week," he responded in an agitated tone.

Hearing the agitation in Danny's tone, Martin asked, "You've been looking a little tweaked lately. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's…it's…" he started, but then stopped himself.

Regarding Danny closely for moment, Martin finally responded. "Still worried about Elena's ex, right?"

Nodding, Danny turned back toward his computer. "That's definitely part of it," he agreed quietly before focusing on the phone records again.

That was part of it. He knew that Carlos was out there somewhere waiting for them to let their guard down. He knew that Elena was worried about this as well, because she wouldn't let Sophie out of her sight. If Sophie wasn't at school or locked in her apartment with Elena's mother, then she was under Elena's watchful eye. Danny completely understood Elena's over protectiveness, but it also made it frustrating because he and Elena were barely ever alone together.

He'd gone over to her place a few times since Carlos got out of jail -- usually after work, always making certain that Carlos wasn't watching. He'd eat dinner with them or watch a movie. After Sophie would go to bed, he and Elena would spend time talking or making out on her couch, but they never went further than that. Elena didn't feel right about sleeping with Danny, in any capacity, with Sophie in the next room. Danny understood this completely, but it hadn't made the situation any less frustrating.

Frustrating. That was the perfect word, Danny thought. He worked with Elena everyday. Every morning, he'd watch her walk into the bullpen and smile sweetly at him. His first instinct, the instinct he had to quell every day, was to stand up and pull her into his arms. Everything about her made him want her. She was beautiful and had a way of flirting just by looking at him. And if she'd find a way to touch him, even inadvertently, it was all he could do to control himself.

Danny shook his head. He wasn't sure how long he could go on like this. He'd thought about leaving the team more and more. He wasn't sure he and Elena could stay together if they continued to work together. Maybe if he left the team, then they could finally have a real relationship

* * *

Elena was tired again. She hadn't been sleeping well since Sophie had been kidnapped. After they got Sophie back and Carlos was in jail, she started to sleep a little better, but that's when the good dreams started. Instead of nightmares about Carlos, she started to have fantasies about Danny. The memories of their few encounters before Sophie's kidnapping would invade her dreams. 

_Nervously, Elena took a deep breath before knocking the door. _

_After waiting a few moments, the door finally opened. Taking a short, unsure breath, she smile slightly when she saw Danny's confused face. _

"_Hey," he greeted in a hesitant tone._

"_Hey," she replied._

_Frown firmly in place, Danny asked, "What…what are you doing here?" His eyes scanned the hallway to see if Sophie was in tow, but it was just Elena._

"_I, um, I, can I come in?" Elena asked._

_Shaking his head, Danny stepped out of the way quickly. "Sure, of course. Come in. I'm just surprised to see you on a Sunday. When we had dinner on Friday you said you had a busy weekend with Sophie."_

"_I did. I mean, I do, but I just…" she started, but then got distracted as she looked at Danny. He was dressed in a white v-neck t-shirt and dark track pants. His hair was a mess and he hadn't shaved all weekend. Elena wasn't sure if she'd ever seen him like this before and she found it completely sexy. _

"_You just what?" Danny asked, trying to refocus her attention._

_Looking into his eyes, Elena smiled slyly. "I just wanted to see you."_

_Danny smiled. "Well then, I'm glad you stopped by, but I'm surprised Sophie's not with you."_

_Smiling shamefully, Elena shook her head as she turned so he couldn't see her face._

"_What?" Danny asked, voice full of amusement._

"_They're at church," she replied in a small tone. "Every Sunday morning, my mother and I take Sophie to Sunday school and then church afterward, but this morning I ask my mother to take Sophie because I had an errand to run."_

_Danny eyebrows raised as Elena's motives became clearer. "Errands? Is that what I am? An errand?" he asked as he walked toward her from behind._

"_What was I supposed to say to her? Forgive me mother for I'm going to spend the holy day in sin?" she asked as she felt Danny's arms wrap around her waist. When she felt his breath and lips on her neck, she couldn't help but inhale sharply._

_Danny laughed against her neck. "Honor thy mother--"_

"_Shut up!" she said, turning quickly in his arms. Before he could utter another word, her lips were on his and she was pulling him toward the bed in the small studio apartment._

_She pulled him down on top of her as her back hit the unmade bed. Kissing deeply, they tried not to rush. Their time alone together always seemed so limited, so they often found themselves caught up in their moments together instead of really enjoying them _

_Feeling Elena's hand travel down to the top of pants, Danny stopped abruptly and looked at her. "How much time do we have?" he whispered in a breathless tone._

_Taking a second to catch her breath, Elena shrugged, "A couple of hours."_

_Smiling, Danny took hold of both of wrists and pushed them over her head. _

_Her breath catching in surprise, Elena frowned as she looked up into his intense, but playful gaze. "What're doing?" she asked._

_Dipping his head down for a moment, he nipped at her neck which sent a noticeable shiver down her spine. "A whole two hours, you say?" he responded as he met her eyes again. "I think…I think we should take our time…this time."_

_Completely entranced by the look on his face and the sound of his voice, Elena just nodded and then surrendered to him._

_An hour and a half later, Elena collapsed against his chest after what she was sure was her fourth orgasm. Both breathing heavily, they didn't speak for few moments as they lay naked in his bed sans sheets and pillows that were discarded to the floor in the frenzy of their lovemaking. Danny ran his hands up and down Elena's back that was slightly slick with sweat. She responded with a purring moan and by nuzzling deep into his chest, not making any attempt to move off of him—still feeling him inside of her._

"_You okay?" Danny asked, his fingers still grazing the small of her back._

"_Mmm-hmm," she hummed. _

_Danny smiled. "That's good. You don't have much time left, you know. I don't want you to fall asleep."_

_He could feel her smile against his skin. "Is that what you've been doing for the last hour, trying to keep me awake?" she responded, sounding just on the verge of satiated sleep._

"_You could say that, but that last time was all you."_

_This time, she laughed as she pulled herself up slowly to face him. "I was just making the most of my time."_

_At first, he tried to think of a smartass comeback, but then he caught sight of her face. Putting her long black hair behind her ears, he took her face in his eyes. "You're beautiful," he said as he pulled her closer to kiss her lips. Then he rolled her over so that he was now above her. "I don't want you to go," he stated with a slightly pleading look in his eyes. _

_Inhaling slightly, she had to force herself to remember her priorities. "I have to meet Sophie," she replied in a quiet tone._

_Shaking his head knowingly, he said, "I know, but I just want you to know that I want this and much more than this. I, um, I love…I love being with you. And even though I'm okay with the way things are right now…I just want you to know, for the record, that I want more."_

_At that moment, Elena felt exhilarated and scared all at the same time and she couldn't hide those conflicting emotions on her face._

_Seeing her reaction, Danny moved off of her and rolled onto his back. Running a hand through his messy hair, he apologized, "I'm…I'm…sorry. That was too soon…I'm not used—"_

_Taking hold of his arm, Elena pulled him closer and then leaned up to kiss him softly. "That was the nicest thing I've heard in a really long time," she said, her eyes moistening with tears. "You're so…so good to me and Sophie…and I can't tell you how much that means to me. Please be patient, Danny."_

And he was, so patient. Even after they got Sophie back, and Elena purposely pushed him away, he'd understood. He hadn't pushed her and more than that, he'd remained her friend. Now that Carlos was out of jail, they'd had to tread quietly. Yes, she'd invited Danny back into her and Sophie's lives, but she'd also put boundaries between them to protect all of them.

Still lost in thought as she pretended to busy herself putting away files in the file room, she was startled as she felt someone brush against her. Just feeling him ever so briefly, she knew it was Danny – his distinctly male scent now unmistakable to her now. She smiled as she caught sight of him walk past her and finally stopping on the other side of the file cabinet.

"Keeping a safe distance?" she said as she kept her eyes on the folders in front of her.

Smirking, Danny nodded. "You have no idea," he responded in a low tone as he opened the file drawer.

Hearing his low, seductive tone coupled with just daydreaming about one of their encounters made Elena feel instantly aroused. She had an almost uncontrollable urge to be close to him.

"Hey," she said as she finally looked up him. "Do you have plans for lunch?"

Glancing up from the file he had been pretending to inspect, he answered, "I figured we'd grab something and eat in the break room…like usual."

Biting her lip, she arched her neck back as if to ponder a thought.

"What do you have in mind?" Danny asked, voice completely curious.

Elena smiled. "Maybe we could go to your place…for lunch."

His eyebrow arched, he smiled in returned. "My place?"

Elena nodded in reply.

Shutting the cabinet quickly, Danny immediately rounded the file cabinet. "Let's go," he said as he took her arm.

This made Elena laugh as she stopped him by taking his hand. Looking around to make sure no one had entered the room, she leaned into him. "Easy, Danny. Why don't you go ahead and I'll meet you there," she responded in a cautious, but still seductive tone.

As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she knew she'd made a mistake. The playful look in Danny's eyes was immediately replaced with confusion and, even worse, hurt. Then just as quickly, the expression on his face changed to something colder.

Taking his hand away, he stepped back.

"Danny--" she started.

Raising his hand to interrupt her, he said, "Just…I'm sorry. Look, I'm not interested in doing this with you."

"Doing what?"

"Having some clandestine relationship. Hiding the way I feel. I have no problem with keeping things professional here," he said as he looked around the office. "I mean, we need to keep things professional if we're going to keep working on the same team, but outside the office? We should be able to leave here together, Elena."

"Danny, you know why—"

"Carlos?"

"Yes. He's out there, Danny. I don't want to do anything to put you or Sophie in danger. We can do this…be together…without him knowing."

"If he comes near you or Sophie, he gets arrested," he responded emphatically.

"I know, but that doesn't apply to you, Danny. He could do something…and I wouldn't forgive myself—"

"Don't worry about that," he said as he leaned into her.

"How can I not worry—"

Brushing his hand against her face, he repeated, "_Don't worry_ about that. If we're going to do this, then it has to be real. It's the only way I can do this…be with you. Do you understand?"

Hearing the gentleness in his tone, her knees felt weak. She could only nod in reply as she felt him take her hand and squeeze it before walking out of the file room.

XXX

For the rest of the day, they worked separately – careful to stay out of each others' way. When they weren't working an active case, Elena liked to leave promptly at five for Sophie's sake. She gathered her things and rose from her desk. Walking towards the bullpen, she announced, "I'm headed home."

Viv had already left, but Martin and Sam both replied in unison, "Good night."

"'Night," Elena responded as she hesitantly walked toward Danny's desk.

Feeling her presence next to him, he looked up at her. "See you tomorrow," he said in a quiet tone.

She smiled slightly as she averted her eyes from his gaze. "Okay," she said as she started to walk away. After barely taking a step, she turned on her heel to look back at him.

"What is it?" Danny asked, wondering what she was thinking.

"Um…if you're not…I mean, if you don't have to work much longer, maybe I could wait for few minutes and we could leave together? I'm making Sophie's favorite tonight, chicken tacos. She'd love to see you and I'd love to spend some time with you," she offered, her voice a mixture of worry and want.

Glancing away from her a moment, Danny hesitantly typed something on his keyboard. Then he looked back up at her and gave her a small smile. "I'm ready now. Let's go," he said as he rose from his chair and grabbed his suit jacket from the back of his chair. Putting it on, he turned around, "Night, guys," he said."

"See ya tomorrow," Martin said.

"Good night," Sam responded.

"Ready?" Danny said, as he put his hand against the small of Elena's back, just for moment.

Elena just smiled and nodded as she started walking, feeling Danny's presence as he fell in step beside her.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: This chapter is kind of all over the place. The flashback is much longer than I'd intended, but I didn't want to cut anything out. I promise the next chapter will follow a more succinct pattern. Thank you for the reviews.

* * *

While drinking his morning coffee, Danny read the Sports section of the newspaper. It was something he did almost every morning when he first got to work if they didn't have an active case.

"Good morning," he heard Elena's sing-song voice as she entered the break room.

"Hey, morning," he said as he looked up from the paper, immediately distracted as he watched Elena take a carton a yogurt from the refrigerator and shake it vigoriously for a few moments.

"You're here early," she said as she took a seat next to him. "I thought maybe you'd need to sleep in today."

Danny smiled. "Actually, I didn't get much sleep at all, so I figured I might as well come in. I even went for a run this morning."

Looking at him incredulously, she asked, "Seriously, Danny, how do you do it? You were at my place until after midnight."

This made Danny laugh. "I guess I have a lot of pent-up energy," he joked as he looked at her suggestively.

At that, Elena's mocha skin turned crimson as she closed her eyes. "Oh…"

Taking her hand under the table, he stroked it gently. "I'm only teasing a little. No worries."

"Are you sure? It's just—"

"Morning," they heard the gruff voice call out.

Both startled, they looked up to see Jack entering. Danny quickly let go of Elena's and she took a short breath to try and get control of her flushed complexion. It didn't work, though, because Jack looked from one to the other with a suspicious glare before heading to the coffee area.

"Morning, Jack," Danny finally answered.

"How'd the Yankees do last night?" Jack inquired as he motioned to Danny's paper.

Turning to the back page of the paper, Danny held it up. "They won one, finally. But more to the point, the Mets are on an unstoppable hot streak. Ten in a row."

Jack smirked. "Wait til October, my friend. And then we'll see who's still in the race."

The exchange made Elena smile. Things had been icy between Jack and Danny for a couple of weeks, but lately things had gotten back to normal. Danny always seemed able to let things go with Jack, Elena observed, which showed just how much Danny cared for his boss.

"By the way," Jack said as he started for the door. "Elena, I'd like you to head over to St. Andrew's this morning. That girl from the Parker case sounds like she's ready to talk. Sam can go with you when she gets here."

"No problema," Elena answered.

"I can go with her…since I'm here now," Danny said as he started to rise. "No sense in waiting for Sam—"

"No. I want Sam to go with her," Jack interrupted quickly.

Danny shrugged as he sat back down. "Okay. Whatever."

"Okay," Jack said as he walked out the door.

After Jack was out of ear shot, Danny shook his head. "Unbelievable."

"What?" Elena asked in a confused tone as she stood up to throw out her empty yogurt container.

"Have you noticed that we haven't been sent out together on a case in weeks? He's doing it on purpose," Danny said as he nodded to the doorway where Jack had just exited.

"No, I'm sure it's a coincidence."

Shaking his head, he countered, "It's no coincidence."

Sighing, Elena put her hand on his shoulder. "Danny, it's no big deal. I'm going to get my things together so I'm ready when Samantha gets here."

Danny just nodded as Elena gave his shoulder a squeeze before leaving the room.

* * *

Later that day, a new case started. Jack came to the bullpen to give out assignments. Once again, Danny observed, Jack made of point of sending Elena out with Martin. And then when a new lead came into the office, Jack told Danny to come with him.

He and Jack ended up having to drive for well over an hour to get to the small town in Connecticutt. About twenty minutes into their drive, Jack broke the silence.

"So how're you doing?" Jack asked from the passenger seat.

Glancing over at Jack and then back to the road ahead of him, Danny shrugged. "I'm fine. You?"

Jack smirked as he shook his head. "I've actually been wanting to talk about something with you."

"What's that?" Danny asked curiously, glancing over quickly again.

"This is…it's difficult to ask…because it's…it's—"

"It's none of your business?" Danny finished the question, already knowing what Jack wanted to know.

"I don't know about that. You both work on my team, Danny," Jack responded in an annoyed tone.

"Oh come on, Jack. You haven't let us work together in weeks. I don't think anything is getting in the way of our work. And I don't think I need to remind you that our 'team' has survived interoffice relationships before. I don't think anything is different with me and Elena," Danny stated emphatically.

"That's where you're wrong. It's different, because you're in danger and you put Elena and her daughter in danger every time you two leave the office together."

Shaking his head, Danny rolled his eyes. "Don't throw that in my face. What are we supposed to do? Just ignore how we feel because of Carlos? I can't do that, Jack. Besides, I've known Carlos a long time. He won't try anything with me."

"Really?" Jack responded in a cynical tone. "Like you weren't ready to take him out a few months ago?"

Starting to boil with anger, Danny lashed back, "He had _a gun_ on an FBI agent. You seem to conveniently forget that."

"I'm not forgetting anything. I just think—"

"That's your problem, Jack. You want to try to fix everyone else's life, so you don't have to face your own," Danny interrupted, clearly not caring about the consequences of being so blunt. "You don't have to worry about me or Elena. And you have no grounds for having a problem with our relationship. She and I have been nothing but professional."

And now it was Jack who was angry. At first, he didn't respond, not wanting to instigate a bigger fight between them. But his anger got the better of him, so he felt the need to get in the last word. "Great…be professional. Do whatever the hell you want! Just keep driving."

They rode the rest of the way in an awkward, uncomfortable silence.

* * *

Easing into the hot bubble bath, Elena took a deep, relaxing breath. It had been a long day. First, she and Samantha had spent two hours trying to get a young girl to identify the man who had kidnapped her and then finally had returned her to a hospital three days later. The girl had been in shock, but her doctor had said she'd been making process. Sadly, she and Samantha hadn't had any real success.

When they'd returned to the office, a new case started and she'd spent the rest of the day interviewing people in an apartment building downtown. She and Martin must have talked to fifty people before finding out that their missing person wasn't actually missing at all.

Such unproductive days shouldn't feel so stressful, she thought. Closing her eyes, she heard the faint sound of Sophie in her room practicing what she'd learned at her piano lesson on a small keyboard.

Trying her best to tune the sound out, Elena tried to focus on the feel and scent of the silky bubbles. The luxouriousness of the bath made her feel sensual. The sensual feeling immediately made her think of Danny. She still wasn't sure what they were doing together or even how she really felt about him, but she knew that she loved the way he'd made her feel.

It had been almost a month since Carlos had gotten out of jail. She hadn't seen him since that day. She knew he was out there, and it made her weary of letting Danny get too close to her.

But that didn't make her miss Danny any less, which is why he invaded her thoughts while she was in the bath. The memory of the night when things went to the next level for them invaded her mind and her body.

_It had been a week since he'd kissed her in the office, and he hadn't tried anything more than a peck or a warm hug here and there since. He'd come to dinner the next night to her house with her and Sophie. After Sophie went to bed, she'd opened up to him about Carlos and worry about Sophie and being all together unprepared for all the stress she'd been dealing with. He listened…really listened. He didn't offer unhelpful platitudes. When he didn't have an answer, he'd say, "I don't know." And that's what she'd found so refreshing about him. Even though there was now this newly discovered attraction, for her at least, he was still this understanding and helpful friend._

_She never thought she'd ever say that about Danny Taylor. He had always been Carlo's friend. The most she saw of him, before they'd started working together and while she was still with Carlos, was at get togethers that she and Carlos would have at the apartment they'd shared and the very occasional double date. Danny had always been with someone she'd never seen before – usually nice girls who seemed crazy about him – even though they seemed to know very little about him. Elena remembered that one of them didn't even know that he worked Missing Persons. She'd just known he was a cop of some sort. _

_This persona of Danny's coupled with his allegiance to Carlos fueled her dislike for him when she'd first started on the team. But as is usually the case, when you get to know someone without the filter of another person, everything changes. _

_And everything had changed with Danny. Now, after him professing how much he cared for her and her daughter, Elena found herself completely intrigued and attracted to him. _

_That's where she found herself on their second date, a week after he'd kissed her in the office. They'd left the office together, promptly at five, vowing to only get a quick drink on their way home. Two hours and two glasses of wine later, she had to excuse herself so she could call her mother to let her know she'd be home soon. _

"_Mama – I'm so sorry. I stopped off for a drink with a friend, and—"_

"_Ningún problema, mamita. Enjoy yourself. You haven't been out of this house except for work in ages. Sophie finished her homework, ate dinner and now she's watching a little TV before bed. Es okay, mamita."_

"_Gracias, mami. "_

_Smiling, Elena made her way back to the table._

"_Good news?" Danny said as he rose slightly as she approached the table and sat down. _

_Shrugging, Elena ran her hands through her hair. "My mother has given me the night off, which is very unusual. She's in a good mood, I guess."_

"_So you don't have to rush home?"_

_Shaking her head, Elena folded her arms across her chest. _

_So Danny continued, "You want to get dinner? Or—"_

"_No, I mean, the appetizers were enough for me," she answered as she looked at their half-eaten plates. "you?"_

"_I'm good," Danny replied. "Another glass of wine?" he asked as he motioned to her empty glass. _

"_Oh I better not. You're completely sober," she said, looking at his water glass. "One more glass for me, and I'll be falling asleep on you. Not so much fun for you."_

_Danny looked at her like he was charmed by every word that came out of her mouth. "Oh I don't know…I could think of much less fun things that you falling asleep on me."_

_Elena giggled, making Danny realize how suggestive the comment had been. Shaking his head, he back-pedaled. "that's not…I mean…I didn't mean…"_

_Reaching out, Elena grasped his hand. "I know what you meant."_

_Nodding, Danny let their fingers intertwine. "So what would like to do with this free evening of yours."_

_Looking down at their hands, Elena shrugged. "Maybe…maybe we could go to your place…to talk some more…where its quiet."_

_She knew there was power in her words just seeing the reaction on Danny's face. They'd been talking for over a week, at her apartment or on the phone after Sophie had gone to sleep, but they hadn't really been alone together. Suggesting that she go to his apartment was opening a door to something that she wasn't sure either of them could control. _

"_Are you sure?" he finally asked, his voice cracking with uncertainty. _

_Elena just nodded in response. _

_That was all Danny needed. He paid their check and promptly escorted her out of the restaurant. Forgetting that she'd said they could talk, they walked in virtual silence the two blocks to his apartment. Right before reaching the front door of his building, he stopped abruptly which in turn caused her to stop because he'd been holding her hand. _

_At first, he didn't say anything. _

"_What?" she asked as she searched his eyes._

"_I, um, I…are you…are you sure about this? I mean, when I did the thing last week…you know…told Carlos that I wouldn't help and then kissing you in the office…all of that…I mean, none of that, was about me trying to get you into—"_

_As he rambled on, Elena inched closer to him until she was close enough to raise on her tip toes and put her finger against his lips. Finally, she said, "I'm not here because of that. I'm here because I've spent the last week with a really great guy who's nice to me and nice to my kid. And I want to spend some time alone with him – without fear of interruption by a certain precocious seven year old. Eres dulce, Danny. Quiero ser tuya, esta noche."_

_Danny smiled and then leaned down to kiss her, lightly at first and then pulling her closer to deepen the kiss. Elena responded by tangling her fingers in the back of hair. Feeling his tongue tease her lips, she opened her mouth which started a frenzy of kisses between them as he slowly backed her up against the wall of his building. Feeling his lips travel from hers to her jawline and down to her neck, she let out a quiet moan. _

_She hadn't done this in a long time. She hadn't let a man kiss her or touch her like this, not feeling like it was the right thing to do with a child waiting for her at home. But Danny's kisses and touches were too good to deprive herself. _

_Seeing that Danny was completely lost in the moment and seemed perfectly willing to take things further right there on the sidewalk, Elena put her hand against his chest. "Hey…hey…I want…let's go inside?"_

_Pulling away from her, Danny nodded. "Yeah, come on," he responded, his voice hoarse with desire. Taking her hand, he led her into the front door and up three flights of stairs. _

_Before Elena knew what was happening, they were in his apartment, a small studio. He didn't have to do much to give her a tour because everything was in the same room – the price for living so close to work. He immediately started to kiss her again as he guided her over to the bed. _

"_This feels familiar," Elena said with an uncomfortable laugh. _

_Frowning, Danny pulled away for moment and then he remembered the night they made out in the cheap motel room during the missing stripper case. "Not for me. I was so afraid to touch you that night. I was reciting baseball stats in my head to keep from losing control."_

_In that moment, Elena had a realization. He'd had feelings for her much longer than a week or so. "You're right. This is nothing like that night," she said as she looked into his eyes. Raising up, she kissed him again as they stood in front of his bed. _

_As they kissed, she felt his fingers slowly unbutton her blouse. She shrugged off her jacket as he opened her blouse. _

_The she took her turn, unbuttoning his dress shirt after pushing his suit coat from his arms. After several arduous moments of shedding clothes, badges and guns, they found themselves in his bed in the midst of a passionate encounter. _

_There was no "first-time" awkwardness. Instead, they moved together in the naturalist of ways. Elena found herself completely immersed in the pleasure of the encounter: the way he touched and kissed her, the feeling of his five o' clock shadow against her soft skin and, finally, feeling him inside of her. He was gentle, and yet, intense and passionate all at the same time. As it ended, she wasn't sure why, but she found herself on the verge of tears and laughing all at the same time._

"_Are…are you laughing?" Danny asked as he pulled her into a warm embrace. "You're going to give me complex_

"_It's been a long time. I haven't…I haven't felt that in a really long time. Actually, it was much better than I ever remember it being, so no reason for a complex, mi querido," she responded as she planted a kiss on his collarbone._

_Danny smiled as he ran his fingers through her hair. "I'm just glad you're not feeling regret."_

_Frowning, Elena looked up at him. "Why on earth would I feel regret?"_

_Danny shrugged. "Too much, too soon? We work together? Carlos and I used to be friends? I could go on—"_

"_No, no, no, baby, don't say anything. Let's not think about all that right now. I don't regret anything," she said as she kissed him. After a few minutes of kissing, she pulled away and looked at him again. "Do…do you regret—"_

_Danny stopped her with another kiss. "I can't even put into words how happy I am that you're here. Is that answer enough for you?"_

_Nodding, Elena settled her head back down against his chest. They laid like that in silence for a little while longer before Danny started to ease away from her. _

"_I need to get up for minute," he said, nodding toward the bathroom. Before they'd had sex, he'd hastily grabbed a condom from his nightstand. They hadn't had any kind of discussion about birth control or former partners, so Elena was relieved that he'd been prepared._

_Giving him a pouty look, she let go of him and grasped the pillow where his head had just rested. _

"_You need anything?" he asked, before entering the bathroom._

_Elena smiled as she observed him, naked, in front of her. He was really a gorgeous man, she'd never really allowed herself to think of him like that – but he so was. "I'm okay," she responded quietly as she nuzzled deeper into the pillow._

_Returning her smile, Danny entered the bathroom._

_Glancing up, Elena caught sight of the alarm clock on the nightstand. She'd completely lost track of time. It was close to midnight, meaning it had been over four hours since she'd talked to her mother. Closing her eyes, she sat up in bed. As much as she wanted to spend the night with Danny, she knew that it wouldn't be right._

_Easing out of the warm bed, she started to gather her clothes from the floor. Hastily, she put on her tank top undershirt and panties as she grabbed her pants and blouse from the floor. Just as she found her bra, which had been thrown from the bed, the bathroom door opened. _

"_What're doing?" Danny asked. _

_Elena looked at him, his tired brown eyes showing disappointment. "I, um, I—"_

_Before she could finish, he pulled her into his arms and whispered, "Quédate conmigo, esta noche."_

_It took all of Elena's strength not to fall back into bed with him. "I can't. I've never left Sophie like this…to be with someone…I need to get home."_

_Letting go her, Danny laid a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I got it. I understand."_

_Smiling sweetly at him, she slipped into the bathroom to finish dressing. Shutting the door, she sighed and took a moment to compose herself. Then she turned and looked in the mirror. Her cheeks still had a slight flush to them and her hair was tousled. Closing her eyes, she ran her hands through her hair to straighten it a bit. Opening her eyes, she noticed a few small red marks on her neck and shoulders. Then her eyes traveled down her body as she turned slightly where she found small finger-shaped marks on the outside of her thigh. As gentle as Danny had been, the intensity of their lovemaking was evident in the marks on her body._

_Smiling to herself, Elena's knees weakened at the thought of what had just happened between them. If someone had told her a month ago that she' d be getting dressed in Danny's bathroom after having sex with him, she'd tell them they were crazy. Yet here she was, and all she could think about was being with him again. She had absolutely no idea how she felt about him, but for now, he was making her happier than she'd felt in a very long time. _

_Minutes later, she opened the bathroom door to find Danny, now dressed in jeans and a long-sleeve t-shirt, gathering her gun, cell phone and purse from the floor. _

"_You dressed?" Elena said, voice confused since it was nearly midnight._

_Handing her things to her, he answered, "Yeah, I'll walk you down…get you a cab."_

_Elena frowned as she put her gun and cell phone in her purse. "Danny, I have a gun. I think I'm capable of getting my own cab."_

"_I know, I know, you can take care of yourself. Humor me? Okay?," he said as he smiled and then leaned down to kiss her one more time._

"Mommy! I'm finished practicing! Can I watch T.V.?" Sophie called out from her room, completely taking Elena out of the memory of her first night with Danny.

"Si, mamita, but just for a few minutes, and then it's time for bed," Elena answered as she opened her eyes and flipped the drain latch down with her toe to let the water out.

Letting out a deep breath, Elena sat up. Just as she was about to get up, she heard her cell phone ring. Reaching over to the small table next to the tub, she opened the phone.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Hey, it's me," Danny said in a wary tone.

"You sound a lot worse that I felt when I first got home."

"It's been a long day. Jack and I just got back. Traffic was a bitch. What are you up to?"

"Mmmmm…don't hate me, querido, but I'm just finishing a very hot, very bubbly bath."

"Hate you? Are you kidding? The visual is making me feel better already!" he replied in a teasing tone.

Laughing, Elena asked, "Are you still at the office?"

"Yeah, but I'm on my way out now."

"I'm about to put Sophie to bed. You should stop by. I can't promise you a bubble bath, but I'll do my best to relax you in some way."

"There's an offer I can't refuse. I'll definitely stop by, but I need to, um, I need to get to a meeting tonight," he said in a hesitant tone.

"Are…are you okay?" she asked, voice sounding concerned.

"Don't worry. I'm fine. I've just neglected going for the last couple of weeks, so I should probably hit one tonight."

Elena was still concerned, but she knew Danny didn't like to explain this kind of stuff. He'd told her very little about AA. He never tried to hide his problem, but he'd never volunteered much about it either. "No problem. Um, just stop by whenever you're finished. I'll be here."

"Are you sure you want to wait up?," he asked, voice uncertain. "I understand if you want to sleep."

"I'm sure. Deseo verle esta noche, mi amor," she whispered in a sweet yet sultry tone as she watched the last of the bubbly water go down the drain.


	5. Chapter 5

It was half past nine o'clock before he finally made it to her apartment. After buzzing him up and then opening the door to greet him, she watched as he rounded the corner to her hall. Before he could see her, she noticed he had a deep frown on his face. He wearily rubbed his eyes before finally looking up.

As soon as his eyes met hers, his expression changed from sadness and worry to clearly being happy to see her.

"Hey," he greeted with a soft smile as he approached her at the door.

"Hola," she said as she reached out to take his hand. "Are you feeling ok—"

Before she could finish the question, Danny dipped his head down to capture her lips with his. The kiss, deep and hungry, practically took Elena's breath away. When he stopped, he stayed closed to her – pressing his forehead to hers.

"I've wanted to do that all day," he said, before gently kissing her again.

"Mmmmm…me, too," Elena responded with smile. "Come in," she said as she pulled him into the apartment. "Are you hungry? I kept some pasta warm in case you were."

Danny first instinct was to decline, but his empty stomach and aching head told him otherwise. "Um, yeah, actually, that would be really great."

Pleasantly surprised that he'd accepted her offer, she went to the kitchen and took the plate out of the oven. They sat down at the kitchen and she placed the meal in front of him.

"You're not going to join me?" he asked, lifting his fork.

"I ate with Sophie."

"Oh," he said as he took a bite. "This is great. You really are a great cook, you know?"

Raising her eyebrows, she sighed heavily. "Why are you always so surprised that what I make tastes good?"

Danny shrugged as he took another bite. "I don't know, I just never pictured you as someone who spent a lot of time in the kitchen."

This made Elena laugh. "Well, I don't, but my mother would mortified if I grew up in her house and turned out to be a bad cook."

"Lucky for me," Danny said as he continued to focus on the meal in front of him. .

Watching him, Elena saw that he wasn't quite all there with her. There was something obviously on his mind. Deciding to take a chance, she asked, "How…how did your meeting go?"

Looking up at her, a surprised expression crossed his face.

Feeling like she'd overstepped a boundary, she quickly said, "Should I not ask about it? I'm sorry. It's not my business."

Putting his fork down, he reach over to take her hand. "You can ask me anything. There's just not a whole lot to say."

While squeezing his hand, she laid her other hand on the back of his neck. "It just seems like something is bothering you. Usually when you come here, we always talk about me and my problems. I just want you to know that you can talk to me. I can be here for you just like you've been here for me."

Danny smiled warily as he took her hand from his neck and held both of her hands in his. "For the record, I like talking about you. You're quickly becoming my favorite subject," he said as he leaned down and kissed her hand lightly. Looking back up at her, he sighed lightly as he tried to formulate his next words. "And I…I…know that I can talk to you, but it's hard to explain because there's really nothing wrong. I mean, there's nothing specifically wrong. I was pissed off this morning because Jack was being…._Jack_. And then the case today was a waste of time. So as I was driving back to the city, _with Jack_, I felt more and more like the walls were closing in. I had this thought…this thought to tell Jack that I needed to drop him off at the building because I needed to run an errand. But really, it was like this plan I was hatching so that I could get a drink."

Elena tried, but failed to hide the surprise on her face.

Noticing her expression, Danny let go of her hands and nervously crossed his arms across his chest. "That's something you don't know about me…that I still struggle with it. And I do. Like today. And then I realized that I hadn't been to a meeting in almost two weeks. I never do that. I never miss, but—"

Leaning forward, Elena interrupted, "It's because of me, yes? You come here after work. You stay here so late and then you're too tired. I'm sorry—"

Reaching out to cup her cheeks, he cut her off. "It's not you. I swear it's not you. I can be here for you and still follow my routine. I just let things get out of whack, that's all. And I hate telling you this because I'm sure the last thing you want to do is get involved with someone like me, especially since you have Sophie. But at the same time, you need to know. You need to know that this is who I am and what I deal with. I completely understand if…if you can't handle this…I—"

Raising her hand, she stopped him from continuing. "I can handle it. You're allowed to have a bad day. Danny, for the last few months, you've been my rock almost every day. Don't beat yourself up because you have a moment of weakness."

"I just don't want you to think that you can't depend on me," he replied, his voice brimming with insecurity. "I know you could never depend on Carlos, and I don't want to bring that kind of thing to your life again."

Elena gave him a sympathetic smile. "What do they say in AA, one day…one day—

"One day at a time," Danny finished.

"Right, one day at time. I kind of like that philosophy. With everything that's gone on in the last year, we just need to take things slow. We'll keep getting to know each other and we'll find out all the things that drive us crazy about each other, and then we'll see what happens."

Danny smiled in agreement, even though in his mind he was thinking that he already knew everything he needed to know about her. He was crazy about her and it was all he could do not to tell her.

"Okay?" Elena said.

"Yeah, that sounds good," Danny replied as he picked up his fork and started to eat again.

After finishing dinner, they moved over to the couch to continue their conversation, but Danny took the opportunity to start kissing her neck as she continued to talk.

"Could you believe our missing guy today? He just wanted his family to miss him? Crazy."

"Mmm-hmm," Danny murmured as he moved her hair out of the way to nip her earlobe.

"I mean, I think I talked to fifty people today, all for—" she stopped suddenly as she felt Danny's hand slip under her t-shirt. That couple with what he was doing to her earlobe rendered her momentarily speechless, except for a light moan that almost sounded like a purr.

Danny's hand traveled up to her breast as his lips travel from her ear to her to lips. With his free hand, he pulled her into his lap in one easy motion.

Elena felt a mixture of ecstasy and apprehension. When her brain caught up to her libido, she pulled away from him slightly. "So how did it go on your end today?" she asked breathlessly.

Frowning, Danny looked at her. "What end? What are you talking about?"

"The case? How was it working with Jack today? You said he pissed you off?"

Shaking his head, Danny laughed as a removed his hand from under her t-shirt. "Is the point of this to kill the mood, because mentioning Jack is one big way of doing that?"

Elena smiled as she planted a kiss on his lips, still straddled against him. "I'm just not ready for you to distract me yet. I'm worried about you, querido."

"I told you, it was just a bad day, baby. But we could end it on a really good note," he said he snaked his hands around the curve of her hips.

Tilting her head, she said, "Before you and I got together, you and Jack were fine."

Danny shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. Jack and I have had issues in the past. We've been working together for a really long time…maybe too long at this point."

Sighing sadly, Elena leaned forward to put her head on his chest. "Don't say that."

Not wanting her to worry, Danny back-pedaled as he ran hands up and down her back. "I'm just frustrated. It'll pass. Jack never changes, but that's why we all love him. Everything will be fine."

Looking up at him, she kissed him and then she took his hand and guided it back to where it had just been. "You sure you're okay," she asked one more time.

"Si," Danny answered as he pulled her closer and kissed her passionately.

They kissed like that on the couch for almost a half hour, Danny repositioning them so that they were lying against each other. Just as he was about to get to a point a no return, he pulled away. "Um, I should probably go before…"

Looking up at him, Elena placed her hand against her cheek. "Quedate."

His eyes widening in surprise, Danny responded. "What…what about Sophie?"

Elena smiled as she moved from under him, forcing them both to sit up. "I had a little talk with her tonight," she said as she stood up and extended her hand.

Giving her his hand, he got up and started to follow her to her bedroom. "A talk about what?"

"I think its safe to say that I'm way out of touch with what's going on in Sophie's friend's homes."

"_Mommy?" Sophie asked as she lay on her pink princess bed. _

"_Si, mamita," Elena answered as she took an outfit out of Sophie's closet and laid it on a chair for school tomorrow. _

" _Do you think Danny would want to come to my ballet recital next week?"_

"_I don't know, sweetie. We'll see. But even if he can't, maybe we can invite him over to watch the video. We could make popcorn and have a little viewing party," Elena suggested, fearing that there would be a scene if Carlos showed up with Danny there. _

"_That sounds good," Sophie replied as he held her doll close. _

_Walking over to Sophie, Elena sat down on the bed. "I'm glad you like Danny so much."_

_Sophie smiled. "He makes me laugh."_

"_He makes me laugh, too, mamita."_

"_I know he does," Sophie said. "That another reason why I like him, you smile when he's here."_

"_Don't I smile when he's not here, too?"_

"_Yes, but you smile even more when he's here."_

_Elena's stomach knotted at the thought of approaching the next subject, but she knew this was as good a time as any. "Sophie, baby, what would you think if I wanted to spend a little more alone time with Danny?"_

"_You mean like go out on a date with him?"_

"_No, baby. It's hard for me to go on dates with him because we work so much and I treasure the time I have with you. I'm talking about maybe him being here, at night, while you're sleeping."_

"_Like a sleepover?" Sophie asked, eyes full of innocence. _

_Wincing at the term, Elena nodded. "Yeah, a little like a sleepover. I just don't want you to be alarmed if he's here late at night. Like when you have a bad dream."_

"_It's okay, mommy. Rachel's mommy has a sleepover friend. Rachel says he sleeps over so much that he may move in with them. Will Danny move in with us?"_

"_No, no baby. He's not moving in. I just didn't want to do anything that would make you uncomfortable."_

"_So if he's here at night, can I still sleep with you?"_

_Elena shook her head. "Not when he's here, baby."_

"_But what if I have a bad dream?" Sophie asked, eyes wide and innocent._

"_If you have a bad dream, all you have to do is call for me, and I'll come sleep with you!"_

"That sounds too easy," Danny said after Elena relayed the story. "If it's still too weird for you—"

"It's not. I want to spend the whole night with you. I want you to actually get some rest instead of leaving here so late."

Smiling seductively, Danny reached out and put his hands on her hips. "Spending the whole night together and getting some rest? I'd say that's a contradiction in terms," he joked as he pulled her flush against his body.

Biting her lip for moment, Elena smiled as she enjoyed the feeling of their bodies so close together. "Baby steps, mi amor. Sophie is right across the hall."

Nodding, Danny kissed her forehead. "I understand. So we just sleep tonight?"

"Si," she replied as she pressed her lips to his for a gentle kiss. "I know you want more—"

Silencing her with another kiss, Danny whispered, "I just want you."

Stepping away from him, Elena unbuttoned his dress shirt and pushed it off his shoulders as he removed his pants and then his undershirt – leaving him clad only in his boxer briefs. Then Elena grabbed a night slip from the chair next to the window. Danny watched as she removed her top and casual knit pants, leaving her naked except for a pair of black boy shorts. Before she could put on the nightgown, he stepped towards her and pulled her against his chest.

"You're beautiful, baby," he said as he ran his hands up and down her bare back.

Rising on her tiptoes, she kissed him passionately – enjoying the feel of skin on skin. She felt Danny take the nightgown from her as they kissed, and then he pulled away from her. Without words, she raised her arms and then he put the nightgown on her. This moment between them, for some reason, felt more intimate to Elena than their previous sexual encounters. Reaching out her hand to his, she guided him to her bed. They lay down next to each other and then she reached over and turned out the light. Laying her head against his bare chest, she felt his arm tighten around her. For the first time in months, she felt completely safe.

* * *

He watched the two shadowy silhouettes through the lit window. The curtain obstructed the view, but he knew exactly who was with her – his tall, lanky frame unmistakable. They kissed and touched and seemed to undress each other before she guided him out of the view of the window to what he could only assume was her bed.

Angrily, he tossed his cigarette to the ground and stubbed it out – imagining Danny's face while doing it. He couldn't get near Elena or Sophie without being arrested, but he sure as hell could make Danny pay for the ultimate betrayal of bedding his daughter's mother while Sophie slept in the next room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N - Thanks for all the reviews. They make my day!

* * *

They'd fallen asleep almost instantly. While he'd teased her that spending the night sleeping wasn't what he'd had in mind, Danny had been exhausted from the long, frustrating day so falling asleep with her in his arms was just what the doctor had ordered. He hadn't done that in a long time, just sleeping with a woman. Most of his girlfriends had been woefully short-lived, which usually meant that he would leave them in the middle of the night. Somehow staying until the morning had seemed to signal to the girl that he was ready for a serious relationship, but that had rarely been the case for him.

Until now.

Elena was different, and it wasn't just because of Sophie. For some reason, he couldn't get Elena out of his head. Even while sleeping, she invaded his dreams. Still in a blissful slumber, he felt her body against his and her lips on his skin. And her voice…

"Mi amor…"

"Quiero que me hagas el amor."

She sounded so real to him. She felt so real.

Slightly opening his eyes, he saw that it was real.

Still mostly asleep, he couldn't tell if she was really awake or not, but she was his kissing neck as she whispered in his ear. And then he felt her hand slowly travel down his stomach, lingering on the narrow trail of hair below his navel. Instantly feeling aroused, he turned towards her and then pulled her close. Without words, they found each other in the darkness. It had been a couple of months since he'd last had sex with her and it was all he could do to control himself. As their bodies connected in the darkness, he heard her attempt to stifle her moans of pleasure. Trying to help her stay quiet, he pressed his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched her reach out and grab the bars of the headboard to brace herself as he thrusted inside of her. With the exception of heavy breathing and panting as they moved against each other, they both managed to contain themselves as they came together.

Danny took a couple of deep breaths as rolled onto his side to take Elena in his arms. Within seconds, they were both sound asleep again.

A couple of hours later, Danny was woken up by the sound of a morning street sweeper going down the road outside Elena's building. On instinct, he glanced over at the clock on her bedside table. 5 a.m. Still early, but at least he'd had several hours of uninterrupted sleep, save for their almost unconscious yet intense encounter just hours before.

Deciding to make a quick exit to hopefully avoid Sophie, Danny reluctantly pulled his arm out from under Elena and slowly moved away from her. Then he quietly started dressing as he watched Elena sleep. She looked so peaceful like that. It took all the willpower he had not to wake her up and make love to her again.

Finally dressed, he resisted the urge to kiss Elena goodbye. Instead, he quietly walked out of the bedroom. Sophie's bedroom door was slightly ajar, so he peeked in to find her still in dreamland. Danny smiled sadly. He wished that he could stay there until they both woke up. He wished that he could be there every morning with them to have breakfast and help Sophie off to school. Somehow, in very short order, he'd fallen in love with both of them and having to leave like this made him ache inside. But he knew it was the right thing to do. Elena needed to take things slow. She didn't want Sophie's world to change so quickly again. He understood, but it didn't make leaving any easier.

Making his way outside, Danny stifled a yawn as he walked down the steps of the building and turned to head toward the subway. The street was quiet except for a jogger and a few cars and taxis on the road. As he started to turn the corner, he had an eerie feeling like someone was behind him. Stopping abruptly, he turned quickly, but nothing was there. Shrugging slightly, Danny continued the short walk to the subway.

After making it home and taking a quick shower, Danny started the coffee maker and turned on ESPN to check the scores from the night before. Walking to his closet, he picked out dark blue suit and a light blue dress shirt. Elena had mentioned that she liked it when he wore blue, so for some reason, he found himself picking blue suits more often than not.

Smiling to himself, Danny laid the suit on the bed. Just as he was about to get dressed, his cell phone rang. Picking it up from his dresser, he smiled as he looked at the display.

"Buenas dias, hermosa."

He heard Elena giggle on the other line. "Buenos dias, mi amor. What happened to you this morning?"

"Did you miss me?" he asked in a seductive tone.

"I did," she replied quietly.

"I didn't want to push my luck. As much I wanted to stay, I didn't want to force you into explaining something to Sophie. I think we got away with quite a lot already last night."

Hearing her sigh, he could practically see her blush through the phone. "I don't know what I was thinking. I guess, for once, I wasn't. I'm just thankful I remembered to lock my door. And I do appreciate you not pushing _our_ luck."

"I gotta say, I kind of like when you don't think and just take a chance every now and then. I loved being with you last night. I loved falling asleep next to you and everything else."

"Mmmm…me, too."

"It's Friday, you want to take Sophie to a movie or something tonight?"

"That sounds good. If we have a quiet day, maybe we can leave early enough to grab some dinner before? I promised Sophie a pizza night."

"Sounds like a plan. See you at work?"

"Yep, my mom just walked in the door, so I'll be on my way in a few minutes."

"Um…uh…I…be safe. I'll see you soon," Danny stammered.

"Yes, soon. Bye."

Ending the call, Danny put his phone back on the night stand and sat on the bed for a moment. His instinct had been to tell her that he loved her, but they'd only been seeing each other for what amounted to a few months. It was too soon. He couldn't remember the last time he'd said the words to a woman and genuinely meant it. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and continued his morning routine.

* * *

Danny arrived at the office to find that an old case had reared its head. They had a new lead, so Jack told him and Martin to check it out. The lead led to a flurry of activity for the team that made the Friday go by quickly. As it turned out, they found a missing person they'd been trying to find for over six months. Danny and Martin had the pleasure of reuniting her with her family at the hospital. As they headed back to the office, they both dreaded the paperwork that would have to be completely before they could leave for the weekend, but Danny also looked forward to returning because he hadn't seen Elena all day.

Walking into the bullpen, his eyes travelled to her desk where she was on the phone in a focused conversation. Shrugging to himself, he took a seat at his own desk to begin typing up his report. Minutes later, his focus was interrupted when he heard the sound of heels clicking on the tile floor. Looking up, he saw that Elena was walking out of the bullpen without so much as a hello to him. Frowning, Danny quelled the instinct to go after her as he tried to remain focused on finishing his report.

It took him another thirty minutes to put the finishing touches on what he'd written. He and Martin took a few moments to compare notes to make sure they got everything documented, and then he e-mailed the report to Jack. Checking his watch, he saw that it was 4:30. Getting up from his desk, he looked over to see if Elena had returned, but she hadn't so he walked out of the bullpen to see if he could track her down.

Walking down the hall, he smiled as he saw her and Sam get off the elevator.

"Hey," he called out.

"Hey," Sam responded as she stopped in front of him.

Danny looked at Elena as she seemed hesitant to stop or even look at him. Turning his attention back to Sam, he asked, "Where are you guys coming from?"

"The lawyers upstairs needed some explanation of the warrants we obtained this morning. Was Molly happy to see her parents?" Sam asked, referring to their missing girl. Her boyfriend had helped her run away months before. After running away, Molly had decided she wanted to return home, but her boyfriend had intimidated her into staying with him.

"She was relieved that they weren't angry with her. It always amazes me how these runaways think their parents are going to kill 'em when all they want to do is hug them, you know?" he asked, trying to make eye contact with Elena again.

"Well, alls well that ends well," Sam said as she looked from Danny to Elena, who still hadn't said a word. Noticing the strangeness between them, she decided to excuse herself. "Well I'm going to pack up to go home," she said as she started to walk away.

When Elena started to move as well, Danny reached out to her. "Do you have a minute?" he asked, voice sounding almost annoyed.

Sighing slightly, Elena stopped and turned towards him still not meeting his eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I'm fine," she smiled awkwardly. "I'm just ready for the weekend."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, me, too. You ready to get out of here?" he asked, still assuming that they were going to spend the evening with Sophie.

"Yes, I am, but I think…I, um, Danny, I don't feel like going out tonight," she replied in a wary tone.

Smiling, Danny shrugged. "That's okay. We can stay in. I'll rent something—"

"No," she interrupted. "I just…I just need to spend some time with Sophie tonight...alone."

Frowning, Danny shook his head. "What's going—"

"Danny, do you have minute?" Vivian asked as she approached them in the hall.

Danny was about to tell Vivian that he couldn't talk, but Elena spoke first, "He does. Excuse me," she said as she brushed passed them and walked quickly to the ladies' room.

"I didn't mean to interrupt. I just wanted to find out if you remembered the name of…"

Vivian's voice trailed off as Danny watched Elena walk away.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N - Thanks for the lovely reviews.

* * *

Taking a deep breath, Elena braced herself against one of the bathroom sinks. She knew she came off as being very cold to Danny, but she wasn't sure she had a choice. That morning, when she'd woken up, she'd felt so happy and fulfilled. Being with him again and getting to sleep next to him all night had been like a dream. For the last couple of years, she'd convinced herself that she hadn't needed anyone. When things had gone so badly with Carlos after Sophie was born, Elena had silently promised herself that she didn't need another man in her life. She could make that sacrifice because she had Sophie to focus on now.

But then Danny came along and, little by little, he broke down the walls she'd so carefully built around her and Sophie for the last few years. His affect on her was evident the night before. She had woken suddenly with an uncontrollable desire to be with him. It was as though her body was working independently of her mind as she basically aroused him out of a deep sleep so that he could satiate her physical need for him. It helped that Danny was great lover, always knowing exactly what she needed, even when he was coaxed out of a deep sleep.

Their previous night's encounter coupled with what had happened that morning made Elena feel shame as she looked at herself in the mirror. How could she be so selfish?

_Hanging up the phone after talking to Danny, Elena turned to greet her mother. "Hola, mami!" she said in an overly cheerful tone. _

_Tossing her a cold glare, her mother looked past her. "Donde es Sophie?"_

_Her smile quickly turning to a frown, Elena motioned to the hallway. "She is finishing getting dressed. What's wrong, mami?"_

"_What's wrong? What's wrong, mamita? You tell me what's wrong," she scolded._

_Elena shrugged. "No se, mami. We're doing well."_

"_Oh, I bet. I bet you're doing great! How could you, Elena¿Cómo podrías? With Sophie sleeping in the next room!"_

_A feeling a shock and shame overwhelmed Elena. How could her mother know? "Tell me what you are talking about? Por favor, mami."_

"_I'm talking about you--," she started and then continued in a lower tone, "you letting a man in your bed last night. Hasn't Sophita been through enough? How could you expose her to a strange man in her own home? All for what? Eres egoísta, Elena!"_

"_Selfish? I'm selfish? How dare you, mami! Danny's not a stranger. Sophie loves him. And he's my friend. That's all."_

"_If he's just a friend, then what were you doing with him all night long? You have a daughter, mamita. Do you want her to think it's okay to let a man into bed like that? What are you teaching her? First, you don't marry her father and now you're acting like a…like a…"_

"_Like a what, mami? What? Una puta?" Elena finished the question, voice full of anger. _

"_Shhhh! Think about what you're doing, Elena!"_

"_How do you even know about this, mami? Sophie doesn't even know that he was here last night. How could you possibly--," Elena stopped, a disturbing thought crossing her mind. "Carlos? Did he tell you?"_

""_No importas—"_

"_It's important to me! Did he tell you?" Elena demanded as her voice rose. _

"_He called me this morning. He's worried about Sophie. And so am I!"_

_Raising her hands in the air, Elena looked at her mother with a horrified glare. "How could you talk to him after what he did? How could you, mami?"_

"_He's her father. He loves her. He wanted to marry you. I still don't understand why you couldn't make it work with him, for Sophita's sake!" her mother pleaded. _

"_How many times do I have to tell you? I couldn't depend on him! I was miserable, mami. I couldn't' raise Sophie living like that. Carlos is out of control. That's why we have a restraining order against him. How could you talk to him?"_

"_He misses Sophie. And he told me some awful things about this…this Danny!"_

"_He wants to take her away from me. Do you understand that? He'll do anything to make that happen! If he knows Danny was here last night, then he's watching us. My God, mami! He's out there watching us. He's out of control. Don't you understand?"_

"You okay?"

Elena jumped slightly at the sound of Sam's voice. Taking a paper towel, she dabbed at her eyes. "I'm fine. I'm okay," Elena answered.

"Are…are you and Danny fighting?" Sam asked, voice hesitant, yet concerned.

Shaking her head, Elena closed her eyes. "No, not exactly," she replied, not really wanting to elaborate.

"Look, I know it can be hard – dating someone that you're working with. Believe me, I know. It's hard to keep problems in the relationship out of the office—"

"It's not that, Sam. The problems aren't with Danny. He's…he's been so good to me and patient with me. But I just don't think I can keep doing this to him. I can't keep letting him in only to push him away when…"

"When what?" Sam asked.

Rubbing the tears in her eyes, Elena let out a gentle sob. "It's complicated. And it's not something I can't talk about right now. But thanks. I appreciate your concern."

Reaching out, Sam gave her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "I'm here if you need anything," she said, before backing away towards the door. Before opening it, Samantha decided to offer some unsolicited advice. "It might be complicated, but don't give up a good thing just because of that. Danny's one of the strongest, most resilient people I know. Whatever's going on…I'm pretty sure he can handle it, and more importantly, he can help you get through it. You don't have to suffer through all of this alone."

Looking up, Elena tried to give Samantha an appreciative smile as she walked out.

* * *

"You want to know something strange?" Danny asked he tossed a lukewarm french fry back onto his plate.

"What's that?" Martin replied as he took a bite of his cheeseburger.

Danny sighed as he tried to formulate his thoughts. "This whole thing with Elena--from beginning to…to where we are now—is so unlike any relationship I've ever had. With almost every other relationship, I would have bailed long before now. But with her, every time she says, "be patient", I stand by and just wait it out. Problem is? It never pans out and I'm always left feeling like an idiot."

"She's dealing with a lot, Danny. It can't be easy."

Danny smirked. "I know it's not easy. I know it's a lot. I know her priority is her daughter. So why the hell am I hanging around? Why don't I just let her go?" he asked, tossing his hands up in frustration.

Taking a drink of his beer, Martin regarded his friend with sympathy. An hour before, when Martin was gathering his things to leave, he noticed Danny coming back to the bullpen with a decidedly tense look on his face. Just minutes before, after finishing their reports, he had seemed fine.

"_What's up, man?" Martin asked as he approached Danny's desk. _

_Punching a few keys in frustration on his keyboard, Danny logged off his computer as he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "Nothing. Everything's great," he replied as he shoved his chair into his desk. _

"_Could have fooled me. You look pissed. Did Jack give you a hard time about the report?"_

_Shaking his head, Danny turned to Martin. "No, it's not Jack. Look, it's not something I want to get into here," he said, his voice lowering as Samantha entered the bullpen. _

"_Night guys. Have a good weekend," she said as she grabbed her purse._

"_You, too, Sam," Martin said as he watched her walk out again. Then he looked at Danny. "Why don't we grab some dinner. We skipped lunch today chasing down Molly Chambers, remember?"_

_Danny shook his head. "Martin, you don't want to hear about this. It's really—"_

"_Hey, look, we don't even have to talk about whatever is bothering you. Let's just grab dinner."_

Danny had finally relented. Shortly after ordering, Martin had finally coaxed him into talking. This was notoriously hard to do with Danny. Even when Danny had helped him with his addiction and recovery, he'd revealed very little about his own problems. But slowly, this time, Danny opened up.

"Maybe you're hanging in there because she's worth waiting for? Maybe it's different with her than with other women in the past. Look, I'm as guilty as anyone when it comes to hanging onto something that isn't going anywhere, but with Elena, it's out of her control, man. Carlos kidnapped her child, Danny. That has to be in her head all the time."

Rolling his eyes, Danny sighed. "Yeah, I know. I'm not saying she isn't entitled to her feelings. I just don't know how much longer I can wait this out. She's hot and cold from one minute to the next. And then there's the bigger picture. Whether things work out or not, I don't know how much longer I can keep working there."

Clearly surprised by Danny's last comment, Martin frowned. Before he could respond, Danny continued.

"Jack's already on me about us working together and what that means with Carlos out there somewhere. If she and I stay together, I don't think I can put up with his 'concern' for our well-beings. If things don't work out and it's really over, I don't think I could work with her every day and pretend like everything is fine."

"Come on, Danny, you were friends before this," Martin replied in a gentle tone. "You can be professional—"

"I don't know if I could, Martin," Danny interrupted. "After you and Sam ended things, you were laid up in a hospital a few weeks later. You guys didn't get a chance to really deal with breaking up before she, and the rest of us, were just praying that you'd pull through. If that hadn't happened, do you really think you and she would have been able to have such a clean break?"

Martin had never thought about it that way before. If he and Sam had been left to deal with the remnants of their romance, would things have been different? "I don't know how to answer that. We'll never know now."

"Well, I know I can't," Danny responded, eyes widening to punctuate the point. "So I'm thinking I should put feelers out there. I have a friend in the US attorney's office. That would probably be the easiest transition for me right now."

"I can't believe we are talking about this. You're really going to leave?" Martin asked, not able to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"It's been twelve years, nearly ten with Jack. Maybe it's time to move on. I don't want to work for another team, Martin."

Nodding, Martin took a breath. "I understand. It just won't be the same without you, you know?"

"Believe me, I know. I just don't think I have a choice."


	8. Chapter 8

Sitting quietly in the waiting room, Elena nervously rubbed her hands together. They felt cold and clammy. That, along with the pit in her stomach, made her wish she'd stayed in bed that morning. She'd spent the whole weekend at home with Sophie, only leaving the house to go to church on Sunday. Sophie had asked her more than once about where Danny was. Sophie had looked forwarded to seeing him on Friday. Elena had to tell her that he wouldn't be joining them and her heart broke when she'd seen that sad look on Sophie's face.

_Friday night_

_Elena smiled at Sophie as she dialed the telephone number. Sophie was just finishing her pizza at the kitchen table. When Elena had told Sophie that they wouldn't be going to a movie with Danny that evening, Sophie couldn't understand it. So Elena was praying that Danny would be willing to talk to Sophie to help her understand. _

_Walking into the next room, Elena sat down on the couch as the phone rang. Finally, on the third ring, Danny answered. _

"_Hello," he answered, clearly knowing it was her. _

_Elena's voice caught when she heard his clipped tone. Usually, when he answered her call he greeted her with a charming endearment. _

"_Are you okay?" he asked, his voice softening when she hadn't responded. _

"_Yes, yes, I'm okay. I'm sor—"_

"_Look, Elena, I don't need to hear anymore apologies. I'm kind of used to this by now. We get close and then you freak out. "_

_You have no idea, she thought to herself. She had no intention of telling Danny about what Carlos had told to her mother. She knew that would just make him want to confront Carlos. _

"_I know I'm not being fair to you, Danny."_

"_No, you're not. As much as I understand how hard this is for you, I don't understand how you can pull away after last night. We spent the entire night together, had a great time and Sophie was still okay. You didn't have to explain anything to her. I thought you were okay with what happened?"_

_Closing her eyes, Elena ran a hand through her hair. She tried to speak, but the words wouldn't come. The last thing she wanted to do was start crying. _

_After waiting a few moments, Danny spoke again when he didn't hear a response. "Why did you call? Was it just to apologize?" he asked, trying not to sound cold, but failing. _

_Taking a breath, Elena spoke, "It wasn't just to apologize. When I told Sophie that we cancelled our plans for tonight, she was upset. I know I shouldn't even ask, but—"_

"_Put her on," Danny said._

_Taking the phone from her ear, Elena called out, "Sophie, baby, someone's on the phone for you."_

_When Sophie entered the room, Elena tried her best to smile and look like nothing was wrong as she handed her the phone. _

"_Hello?" Sophie greeted. _

"_Hola, mija. I'm sorry about tonight."_

_Elena could hear Danny's changed voice on the phone. While he had sounded distant and cold with her, he'd sounded completely happy with Sophie._

"_Danny!" she exclaimed. "Mommy said you couldn't come with us tonight."_

"_I couldn't and I hate that missed pizza night with you. Was it our favorite?"_

"_Yep! Pepperoni and mushrooms. Mom picked off the mushrooms on her piece. We'll we see you tomorrow?"_

_Elena had to take another breath to keep from tearing up when she heard the hopefulness in Sophie's tone. _

"_Not tomorrow, mija. I hope we'll see each other really soon, but don't blame your mom if I can't get by to see you. Things are busy right now. Maybe you can stop by the office next week after school? We can go down to the cafeteria and get some ice cream."_

"_That sounds good. I can't wait!"_

"_Me, either. Buenos nochas, mija,"_

"'_Night Danny!" she replied as she handed the phone back to Elena. _

"_Thanks for that," Elena said as she watched Sophie go back to the kitchen with a smile on her face. _

"_I hope what I said was okay. I didn't want to tell her that we may not see much of each other. If she comes by the office, it shouldn't be a problem if—"_

"_No, that was a really sweet suggestion."_

_Again, there were several moments of silence as neither seemed to know what to say to each other. _

"_Listen, Elena, if this thing is ending, then I need you to know something—"_

"_I don't know if it's ending Danny, I just—"_

"_Listen to me, Elena. I can't keep doing this. I can't hold you in my arms one night and look forward to spending time with you and Sophie only to have it taken away from me the next day without so much as an explanation. I can put up with a lot, but not that much," Danny said in an exasperated tone. Sighing lightly, Danny decided to just lay it all on the table, figuring he had nothing to lose. "Just know this…I love you. I've loved you for a lot longer than you probably even realize. I think…I think we, the three of us, could be really happy together. I've always wanted that…to be a part of a family. So I probably got ahead of myself and that's not your fault. But that's what I want...eventually. Every time you push me away, I feel like we get further and further away from that. So I don't know how healthy it is for me to keep trying."_

_The tears were rolling down Elena's face at such a rate that she stopped trying to wipe them away. She just tried to contain the emotion in her voice as much as possible. "I don't know what to say."_

"_You don't have to say anything. Just take care of yourself and Sophie…and…and I'll see you on Monday," he responded in a disappointed tone before hanging up the phone. _

_Putting the phone down, Elena let the sobs overtake her for a moment. She hadn't been prepared to hear all he'd just said. She hadn't been prepared to hear that he was in love with her. _

"Ms. Delgado?" the receptionist called out.

"Yes, that's me," Elena replied.

"Your lawyer just arrived. Mr. Aguilar's attorney's is also here. I can take you to the conference room."

"Thanks," Elena said as she followed the receptionist down the hall of the family court building.

After she'd found out that Carlos had obviously been watching them, she'd immediately called her attorney to see if they could do something. Her lawyer said the only thing they could do was meet with a family court mediator. Elena had agreed to this partially because she wanted to see Carlos to try to reason with him to leave them alone.

"My client is running a bit late," Carlos's attorney said as Elena entered the conference room.

Elena smirked. "What a surprise," she murmured under her breath. Taking a seat, she started talking even though Carlos hadn't arrived yet. "I want your client to stay away from me, my daughter and my mother….and anyone else who is a part of our lives. I have a restraining order, Ms. Hughes. He can't watch us from outside the building—"

"Ms. Delgado, you have no basis to accuse my client of anything. He's honored the restraining order," Carlos's lawyer responded.

Shaking her head, Elena raised one of her hands, "If he's honoring the order, then why the hell did he call my mother and tell her things that he only could have known had he been watching us."

"The restraining order has no bearing on Mr. Aguilar calling you mother," Ms. Hughes said as she glanced at the family court mediator.

"No, but it does say he can't be with 500 feet. He was obviously close enough to see inside my apartment," Elena replied, her voice full of frustration.

"Ms. Delgado—"

""Hey, it's not very fair to start without me!" Carlos said as he casually walked into the room and took a seat next to his lawyer directly across from Elena.

"We just started. You haven't missed anything," his lawyer said.

"Good. I wouldn't want to miss a moment of this," he said as he stared directly at Elena across the table. "Estas buena verle, Elena."

She returned his stare with a cold, angry one of her own.

Elena's attorney broke the tension of the moment by restating what Elena just said, "Ms. Delgado would like to make it clear that you are not to watch her home, Mr. Aguilar."

Leaning forward, Elena elaborated, "My mother told me that you called her, Carlos. She said—"

Carlos smirked and then laughed. "Now it's against the law to talk to your mother? Come on, Elena. It's a free country."

"You were outside my apartment, you son of a bitch!" she responded, her voice raised.

Carlos just shook his head as he spoke. "Actually, you're wrong. A friend of mine happened to be going by your apartment, saw some disturbing things and thought I should know. Then I," he said, pointing to himself, "being a concerned father to a daughter I haven't seen in months, called her grandmother to air my concerns."

"What friend Carlos? Who? Who?" Elena demanded.

Waving his hand nonchalantly, he responded, "You don't know him—"

Elena shook her head in frustration, sick of his slimy game.

"But he saw some interesting stuff," Carlos continued as he looked at the family court mediator. "Like a single mom, who worked all day and then somehow found some time to bang her new boyfriend – with Sophie right across the hall, by the way."

Elena massaged her temples in disbelief as her lawyer spoke up. "Mr. Aguilar, I would caution you against being so coarse in this proceeding. Ms. Delgado is allowed to have a private life. She's done nothing to endanger her daughter."

"Oh really? When Sophie spent the night at my house, I'd never let someone stay over. I'd never expose her to some casual fling," he said pointed as he glared at Elena.

"He isn't a casual fling," Elena responded in irritation, but then regretted even dignifying Carlos's comment. Looking at the mediator, she explained, "He's been a friend to me and to Carlos. Sophie thinks of him as an uncle. I would never do anything to endanger or confuse Sophie. He came over that night as a friend. Sophie wasn't exposed to anything. But I can see where a peeping tom outside the window might get the wrong idea."

Her explanation seemed to satisfy the mediator, but Carlos still had a sly smile on his face. "That son of bitch is no friend to me anymore," Carlos said, his voice cold. "I'm still wondering what I'm doing here? I haven't violated the restraining order. You have no evidence that I was outside your house. If you did, you would have called the police. And unless we can talk about something important, like allowing me to visit Sophie, then I don't think we have anything more to say," he said as he rose from his chair.

His lawyer also piped. "I agree. Unless we can talk about something productive—"

"I'd like to talk to Carlos alone," Elena interrupted.

Now her attorney spoke, "I wouldn't advise that."

"Neither would I," the mediator agreed.

Raising her hand, Elena said, "Five minutes. If you could just wait outside the door, I'd like to talk to him for five minutes."

"I have absolutely no problem with that," Carlos said as he sat back down, across from her.

The mediator stood up and walked toward the door with the lawyers. "This is against my better judgment, but if you both want to talk I can't stop you. Mr. Aguilar, you are to stay on this side of the table. I'll call a security officer to stand with us outside the door. If we hear anything—"

"We're just talking. Right, Elena?"

"Right."

As the three left, Carlos looked at Elena and smiled. "This is how it should have been all along, just you and me, querida."

"I tried just working it out between you and me. That ended with you kidnapping my daughter."

Carlos's smiled faded. "It wasn't just you and me, then. You already had Danny in your corner by that time."

"This isn't about him, Carlos."

"Isn't it? We had a shot before he started looking at you with those puppy dog eyes of his."

Frowning, Elena pinched the bridge of her nose. "It was over, Carlos. It was over long before anything started with Danny. I tried to make you understand that, but—"

"How much do you know about him, anyway?" Carlos interrupted. "I mean, you two were never great friends when you and I were together. He's not the sweet, stand-up guy that you think he is."

"I'm not going to get into this with you, Carlos. All I want is for you to leave us alone. All I want is to feel safe and to know that Sophie won't go missing again. And that you won't try to hurt—"

Cutting her off like he hadn't even heard her, he continued, "Back when I first knew him, he was with a different woman every night of the week. See Danny's an addict. Did you know that?"

Elena rolled her eyes to let him know she could care less about what he was saying.

"He stopped drinking, but he couldn't stop that lifestyle, you know? Maybe he's grown out of that a little bit. Maybe he's on his best behavior with you, but it's still in him. The addiction. It's just like those pathetic losers we'd see in Vice…always needing a fix. Is that what you want our daughter to experience?"

"My daughter is my first priority. She is the most important thing to me. That will never change, no matter who is my life. Can you promise me that you'll leave us alone?" she pleaded, trying to keep the focus on Sophie.

"Can you promise me that you'll dump Danny?" he countered.

Elena shook her head. "Why are you making this about him? What is this? If I can't be with you, then you don't want me with anyone?"

Shrugging, Carlos leaned forward. "There's a thought," he said in a sinister, low tone.

"As long as you feel like that, then I'll never, ever consider letting you see Sophie. You will not threaten me or anyone around me," she said as she stood up.

"You'd never let me see her anyway. What do I have to lose?"

Stepping away, Elena started to walk towards the door.

"You want to know something else about your new lover?"

"Shut up, Carlos!"

"He has a brother in prison – who he actually helped put back in prison the last time. It'd surely send Danny into a tailspin if his brother couldn't make parole. No telling what he'd do…drinking, drugs, women…if he had to deal with that kind of guilt again," he said as he stood up. "You should be careful…for Sophie's sake."

"If you do anything—"

"I'm not going to do anything. I'm just saying, Danny's not as strong as he wants you to think he is. You'd be better off cutting ties with him and focusing on our daughter," he said as he walked toward the door and opened it.

"Hasta luega, baby," he said as he walked out the door.

Feeling like the wind was knocked out of her, she sat down quickly. Now she knew for sure: Carlos planned on punishing her by hurting Danny. She couldn't let that happen.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N - Thanks for the reviews. A very helpful reviewer pointed out that some of the Spanish phrases are incorrect. Apparently, using an online translator is not effective. At any rate, I'm still going to include phrases here and there, but I'll do better to verify they are correct! Hopefully, I haven't confused anyone too much.

* * *

Returning to the office after meeting with Carlos, Elena hurried to her desk. His parting words to her left her feeling worried. What if he had already set something in motion? She had to find out for sure. After logging into her computer, she opened an application that would tell her what she needed to know. She looked up quickly to make sure no one from the team was around. All gone from their desks, she assumed that they were working on a case. As soon as she found out what she needed to know, she'd call Jack to let him know she had returned from the meeting.

Looking back at the computer screen, she typed in the name: Rafael Alvarez. Immediately, several entries returned of Rafael Alvarez's with criminal records. Scanning the list, she found the one she was looking for rather quickly.

"_Thank you so much for taking Nicky and Cristina with you today," Sylvia said in a grateful tone. "I know they are a handful…well, Cristina is a handful!"_

_When Elena suggested that they take Sophie ice-skating that weekend, just a couple of weeks after they'd started dating, Danny had asked if he could bring along Nicky and, his now almost two year old niece, Cristina, since he usually tried to do something with them at least one Saturday a month to give Sylvia a break and to keep in better touch with his brother's family. _

"_Our pleasure," Elena replied as she helped Sylvia prepare dinner in the kitchen. "I remember when Sophie was that age," she said as she nodded to Cristina who Danny was playing with on the floor of Sylvia's living room. "I was worn out keeping up with her, and I only had her!"_

"_Well, Nicky's actually a big help most of the time. So I'm lucky, but it was nice to actually get something done on a Saturday afternoon. I even took time to take a bath."_

_Elena smiled. She'd only just met Sylvia that morning, but she'd instantly felt comfortable with her. "Good for you, chica! Danny and I had a great time with all them. Sophie is in love with the little one and she's fascinated by Nicky, so it was all good. And to top it all off, Danny learned how to not fall down while ice-skating," she said in an extra loud tone so that he could hear._

"_I heard that!" Danny called out from the living room. "Ice-skating isn't natural. It's wearing boots with knives on 'em on top of frozen water -- crazy past-time if you ask me, but I endured it for the kids."_

"_So self-sacrificing!" Elena called out as she heard Danny laugh in the living room. "He loved every minute of it," she said in a lower tone to Sylvia._

"_I don't know what I'd do without him. I mean, I have family. I have a brother and sister and mother who are a great support system for me, but there's something about Danny that Nicky just connects with. Having him around the last couple of years, with Rafi gone, it's been a blessing," Sylvia said as she looked at a photo of Rafi, her, Nicky and Cristina during a recent prison visit. _

_Elena looked closer at the photo. Sylvia, Nicky and Cristina had genuine smiles on their faces while Rafi had a smile that didn't quite meet his sad eyes. "He and Danny have the same eyes," she observed. _

"_Eyes like their mother," Sylvia agreed as turned back to the stove. "But that's where the comparisons end. Rafi has a temper and insecurity like their father. I guess Danny's had bouts with that, too, but he got some kind of strength from their mother."_

"_You've been so patient to wait for Rafael. How do you do it?" Elena asked, remembering how she'd eventually lost all patience in dealing with Carlos and he wasn't in prison._

"_Oh believe me, I've had my moments. There's a reason why Rafi and I aren't married yet. He should get out by the end of this year. If he comes back and proves that he'll stay clean and try to live a normal life without trying to pursue some unrealistic pipe dream, then we'll get married. If not, then I'll have to figure something else out. Danny and I have both promised ourselves that if he stays on the right path in prison and then makes an honest effort when he gets out, that we'll support him."_

"_Very admirable," Elena said as she shredded lettuce into a bowl. _

"_Especially admirable for Danny. When they were kids, Rafael broke his heart so many times. The whole reason he spent so many years in group homes and foster care was because Rafael would abandon him. Danny had to get past a lot of justified anger to be able to help Rafi again. I didn't really understand that when I first met Danny, but after getting to know him, and Rafi telling me the whole story, I'm amazed that Danny is still around."_

_Hearing Sylvia's words made Elena feel guilty and sad. There was so much Danny hadn't told her about himself, simply because he had been focusing on helping her with Carlos. She made mental note to make some time to talk about him. Motioning out to the living room, Elena finally responded, "I think they make it pretty easy to stick around." _

_Sylvia looked on with Elena as they watched a laughing Danny play a video game with Nicky as Cristina sat contently in his lap and Sophie leaned on his shoulders while watching them play the game. _

Quickly becoming engrossed in Rafi's file, Elena made notes on a pad of paper. She was so involved in what she was doing that she had no idea someone was behind her.

"Good morning."

At the sound of Martin's voice, Elena nervously tried to close the application. In her haste, she typed the wrong key so that it only enlarged the window on her screen. Finally finding the right key, she closed the window and turned to Martin. "Hey," she responded, knowing she looked like a deer caught in headlights.

Eyeing her skeptically, he started to say something when Jack approached. "Good, you're back," he said as he looked at Elena. "I need you and Martin to head out to Hudson University. Martin will get you up to speed."

Turning the pad of paper over on her desk, Elena just nodded as Jack walked away. Standing up, she noticed that Martin was still watching her with a confused frown on his face.

"Ready?" she said as she took her gun out of her desk drawer.

"Uh, yeah, let's go," he said as he stepped back so that she could go first.

The first few minutes of their drive consisted of Martin telling Elena about their missing person, a female college student. After he told her everything, there was a deafening silence between them until Martin finally spoke again.

"If you want to know about Danny's brother, why don't you just ask him about it?" he asked, his voice not quite accusing, but curious.

"Martin, I can't…" she stopped, not sure what to say.

"It's none of my business, but I just—"

"I can't tell Danny about this. I can't involve him," she stated emphatically.

"If it's about Rafael, then it already does involve him. What's going on, Elena?"

Shaking her head, Elena wiped the corner of her eyes. "He can't know about this. If I tell you, you have to promise me that you'll help me protect him from this."

He looked over at her quickly, not understanding what she was saying. Returning his eyes to the road, he asked, "Why does Danny need protecting? What does it have to do with his brother?"

"Promise me, Martin," she pleaded.

"I'm not going to promise anything until I know what the hell is going on. I'm not going to promise that I'll keep something from my friend about his own brother, Elena."

Sighing heavily, Elena ran a hand through her hair. "I had meeting with Carlos this morning. I found out that he's been watching or he's had someone watching my apartment building. I just wanted to see if the mediator could do something to keep him away. But there's nothing more they can do since we already have a restraining order."

"What's that got to do with Danny's brother?"

"I asked to speak to Carlos alone. I thought I could convince him to leave us alone, but he ended up just giving me a very cryptic ultimatum."

"What do you mean?"

"If I don't stop seeing Danny, then he'll do something to hurt Danny. If he can't get to me because of the restraining order, then he'll strike Danny."

"If he's threatening Danny, then maybe he needs a restraining order, too."

"He didn't come out and threaten him. He's too careful for that. But he did mention Danny's brother and how Danny would be devastated if something happened so that his brother didn't get out of prison."

Finally understanding the full picture, Martin's eyes widened as he glanced at Elena again. "You think Carlos might try to get to Rafael."

Elena nodded. "I know I can keep everyone safe if I just end things with Danny, but what if Carlos has already set something in motion? He has informants inside who could already be planning something."

"Why would he already have something in motion? What would set him off?"

"He saw Danny come to my apartment the other night. He spent the night," she replied sheepishly. "He hadn't done that before, and I think that sent Carlos over the edge. He knows he couldn't get away with doing something to a federal agent, especially since there is still a microscope on him. But he could get away with doing something to Danny's brother."

Nodding, Martin thought for a few moments. "So what were trying to find out this morning?"

"Where he's serving time, when exactly he's up for parole, cell mates…whatever I could to figure out if he might be headed for some kind of trouble."

Taking out his phone, Martin started to scroll through his contact list. "He's in a medium security prison in White Plains. He got a pretty decent plea deal at the time, so he should be up for parole fairly soon."

"Who are you calling?" Elena asked, concerned that he'd decided that Danny should know.

"Someone who can help us make sure that Rafael is safe and doesn't get into any trouble that Carlos could manufacture for him."

* * *

The next day, Elena arrived at the office early. When she'd left the night before, their latest case had gone cold. Danny and Sam were still out following a weak lead, but Jack had told the rest of them to go home and plan to come back in the morning to start fresh. 

This made her surprised to see Danny sitting at the conference table pouring over what looked like phone records. Sans jacket, tie loosened, and his sleeves rolled up, he appeared to be deeply focused on the numbers in front of him as he absently chewed on the end of his pen. Watching him like that made her heart beat a little faster.

"Morning," she said as she approached him.

"Morning," he replied, glancing up from the records. After giving her a quick, obligatory smile, he looked back down.

"Have you been here all night?"

Looking out the windows and then back at her, he ran a hand through the back of his hair. "Nah, I went home for a couple of hours, and then came back. These came in right as I was about to leave last night, so I just wanted to get a head start."

Taking a closer look at the documents, she asked, "What exactly are you looking for?"

"They are phone records from the security office at Hudson. Their system crashed last week, or so they say, and all they could salvage were these print outs. I'm just trying to see if our girl made a call to them last week. I still think someone in their security office is covering for someone."

"That's a needle in a haystack, Danny."

"Well you know me, I do like a challenge," he said as he looked up at her, clearly referring to the state of their relationship. "Besides, we don't have much else to go on, right now."

"Guess you're right," she responded quietly, deciding to disregard the first part of his response. "I'm going to get a coffee, and then I'll come back to help. Can I get you a refill?" she asked, motioning to his cup.

Danny looked at his almost-empty cup and then up at her. "I'll come with you. It will help me stay awake."

Elena smiled uneasily as she walked to her desk and put her purse away. She was glad that he wasn't acting cold to her, but knew it was just a matter of time before things would get worse. As they walked to the coffee room, she realized this was as good a time as any to talk to him.

He poured coffee into her mug and then into his, followed by a dash of cream in his cup and a more generous amount for her. It was the little things about Danny that always got to her. He knew exactly how she liked her coffee. Looking back, he'd known this long before they even got together.

As he turned to head back to the bullpen, she stopped him. "Um, Danny?"

"Yeah?" he answered as he turned to her.

"Could we…could we talk for a minute?" she asked, voice laced with dread.

From seeing the frown that suddenly appeared in his brow line, she thought he was going to say no, but instead he replied, "Sure. Here?" he asked as he looked around the break room that had a few morning stragglers hanging around.

"No. Let's go…" she motioned out the door.

Following her, he walked down the hall and into the stairwell. "First the coffee room and now the stairwell – are we taking a tour of all the places where I've kissed you?" he asked sarcasticlly, remembering a late night a few months ago where they stole a few moments together here.

Sighing slightly, Elena couldn't help but smile at the memory.

"What's up?" Danny asked as he leaned back against the wall.

"I, um, do you remember when you told Sophie that she could stop by this week to see you?"

"Of course."

"I was hoping she could stop by today after school. I could have April bring her here."

"Sure, that's fine."

Biting her lip, Elena closed her eyes for a moment before saying her next words. "I, um, I actually think it would be helpful if we could explain things to her this afternoon, so she understands—"

Danny smirked as he interrupted. "I hope you plan on being the one to explain things because I still don't know what the hell is going on between us."

Taking a breath, Elena crossed her arms in front her as if she was bracing herself. "I'm…I'm not ready to be with involved anyone, Danny. You made things really easy for me and I love spending time with you, but I don't want to lead you on. And I don't want you to think we are headed toward being this happy family. I…I…don't…I don't love you."

Right before her eyes, Danny's expression changed from obvious hurt, to anger, to something more contained. Tightening his lips together, he just nodded slightly, murmured something, and then turned toward the door.

"Danny," Elena said as she reached out.

As soon as he felt her hand on his arm, he flinched and turned toward her. "What time is Sophie going to be here?"

Looking at him with sympathy, Elena repeated, "Danny—"

"What time, Elena?" he barked.

"Around 3:30."

"Fine. I'll be there. I'll just follow your lead with whatever you want to tell her," he said as he opened the door and walked out.

As soon as the door closed, Elena's covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from crying. She literally felt a physical ache inside from what she had just done.

_Martin spent the rest of their ride to Hudson University on the phone with a few different people. One contact led him to another which finally connected him to the warden of the prison where Rafael was doing his time. Elena heard him talking about precautions they would take and even transferring Rafael to his own cell. Occasionally, he'd ask her a question about Carlos like what his aliases had been or any known associates. Right as he pulled into the parking lot at Hudson, he thanked the warden and closed his phone. _

"_The warden seems willing to take precautions. And he says that Rafi has been a model prisoner, no trouble. He should be paroled by the end of this year."_

_Elena nodded. "Thank you. Thank you for doing that. I don't think I could have gotten the warden on the phone so quickly."_

"_What next?" Martin inquired as he looked at her. "Look, I can't tell you what to do, but Danny needs to know—"_

"_No, he doesn't. Carlos won't do anything if Danny and aren't together. So that's just the way it has to be."_

_Shaking his head, Martin shut off the car. "You can't let him rule your life like that. It's not right."_

"_Martin, a few months ago, he kidnapped my daughter. Even with a restraining order, he's still dangerous. I won't expose people I care about to that. Please, just…thank you for helping me, for giving me peace of mind. Now I just need you to let it go and let me handle it."_

Reluctantly, Martin had agreed with the caveat that she would get help if she needed it. Elena knew that Carlos would leave her alone if she ended things with Danny. It wasn't fair, but it was her only choice until Carlos slipped up and violated the restraining order or just lost interest in them all together.


	10. Chapter 10

It had been a long, exhausting day. He left work feeling empty and alone.

First, there was the conversation with Elena. He'd expected her to tell him that she needed more time, but he hadn't expected her to tell him that she didn't see a future with him. Of course, she'd been guarded with him all along, but he'd never thought that it was because she wasn't falling for him. He'd completely misread the situation and now he felt like a fool, especially after declaring his love for her just days before.

Second, there was the case they'd been working on that day – an eighteen-year-old co-ed with her whole life ahead of her. Her ex-boyfriend, who had been stalking her, had beaten her to death. They'd found her body earlier that day. Even without his personal drama, this alone would have made it a very bad day.

Last, there was Sophie. And now he remembers why he'd always avoided getting involved with women who had children. Going through a break up with a woman is difficult enough, breaking up with her child tears your heart out.

_They were sitting across from Sophie in the cafeteria as she happily ate her ice cream and told them about the new school play that she was going to be a part of._

"_It's a story about this city mouse and this country mouse, that's me, I'm the country mouse. Anyway, my teacher says it's the kind of story where you learn a lesson, a…a…--"_

"_A fable," Danny finished for her, finding it hard not to smile as he listened to her, even though he was feeling terrible._

"_Right a fable," she said, taking another bit of ice cream. "My teacher said I need to where overalls…what are overalls, Mommy?"_

"_Um, they're like jeans except they go all the way up to here," she said, motioning to below her neck. "And they snap around your shoulders."_

_Sophie gave her a positively confused glance._

"_Don't worry, Soph, your mom would never make you wear them in real life. They don't exactly make the best fashion statement. Although on you, I'm betting they'll be adorable," he said as reached out and tousled her hair. _

_Laughing, she straightened her hair. "You'll get to see me in them when you come to the play," she replied, voice full of excitement. "Do you think I look like a mouse?"_

_Looking down first, Danny then glanced quickly to Elena wondering when she was going to tell Sophie. Seeing that she wasn't about to speak, he answered Sophie, "Actually, now that you mention it, you kind of do."_

_Making a little face at Danny, she shook her head. "I wish that I could be a mouse that turned into a fairy princess or something good like that," she said as she ate her final spoonful of ice cream. Raising her spoon, she declared, "All done, but you didn't eat any of yours."_

_Danny looked down at his untouched bowl of soft-serv ice cream that was quickly melting. "I guess I wasn't very hungry," he replied quietly._

"_Are you crazy?_ _Who isn't hungry for ice cream?" Sophie asked, completely oblivious to the tension between Danny and Elena. "Mami, can I—"_

"_No, mamita. One bowl is enough or you'll get a tummy ache."_

_Putting a slight pout on her face, Sophie gave a sideways glance to Danny, "If it was just you and me, you'd let me finish it."_

_Both Danny and Elena smiled at this as they glanced at each other. For a moment as Elena looked at him, he swore that he saw something in her eyes…like she loved them being together like this just as much as he did. But just as quickly, she turned her attention back to Sophie – the smile disappearing from her face. _

"_Sophie, baby, Danny and I need to talk to you about something," Elena said, her tone somber. _

_Ignoring her tone and just focusing on her words, Sophie's eyes widened in excitement. "You do! Are you—"_

_Knowing exactly what she was thinking, Elena cut her off quickly. "Sophie, listen carefully, baby. Danny and I care about each other very much. We are good friends, but we've decided not to date anymore."_

"_You're…you're breaking up?" Sophie asked in a confused tone as she looked at Danny._

_Leaning forward, Danny nodded. "Yes, mija, we're not going to be together anymore, but—"_

_Looking back at her mother, Sophie's eyes filled with tears. "Is it because of me, mami? Because you don't want to have a sleepover when I'm in the house? I'll stay at abuela's if you want to be alone. I'll be really quiet. I'll stop bugging you when you're at the house to visit mommy," she said, looking back at Danny. "I promise!"_

"_Baby—" Elena started, but before she could figure out what to say she saw Danny stand up and then kneel down right in front of Sophie._

"_This doesn't have anything to do with you, mija. Getting to spend time with you--," Danny stopped, clearly trying to contain his emotions, "getting to see you when I come over has been one the best things about being with you mom. I love you, Sophie. Nothing's going to change that."_

_Crying now, Sophie flung herself into Danny's arms and buried her head into his neck. Looking up as he stroked Sophie's hair, Danny saw that Elena had moved from the chair and was now behind Sophie, tenderly rubbing her shoulders. Their eyes met as she tried her best to keep her tears at bay. _

"_It's going to be okay, mija. We'll still see each other when you visit your mom at the office and—"_

_Looking up at him, she shook her head. "It's not the same. It's not the same if you're not there to eat dinner with us or tuck me in sometimes. I don't understand," Sophie said as she turned back to her mom, but still kept a tight hold around Danny's neck. "You and Danny never fight. You never fight like you do with Daddy. You smile when Danny's with us. You're happy, why can't you stay together?"_

_Completely at a loss for words, Elena just stroked Sophie's hair. She did have an answer for her. _

"_Your mom and dad were together for a long time. It's different with them. Your mom and I just realized that…that it wouldn't work out for us. It's no ones fault: not mine, not your mom's and definitely, definitely not yours."_

Feeling completely exhausted, Danny had gone home shortly after saying goodbye to Sophie. Elena had promised Sophie that she would still get to see him, even if that meant coming to the office a few times a month. It was obvious that neither he nor Elena had realized how quickly Sophie had become attached to the idea of them being together. Look back, though, he could see where she would be confused. From the moment, he'd started seeing Elena, Sophie was right there with them. And Danny had embraced that – they were a package deal. So every dinner, every movie, everything had involved Sophie. Of course she would struggle with losing that kind of togetherness, especially since she had so recently been traumatized by Carlos's actions.

After Danny had gotten home, he thought that he would just collapse from the activity of the last two days, but instead he felt wired. It wasn't an unusual feeling for him. Stress did this to him…it wound him up to point of uncontrollable restlessness. After being home for only an hour, he felt the need to go out again. As much as he knew he should go to a meeting, he didn't feel like it. The group dynamic, the testimonials, the chanting – that wouldn't calm him down on a night like this.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N -- I'm not completely happy with this chapter, but it was necessary to the advancement of the story, especially Danny's. Thanks for the reviews!

* * *

_The blaring music wouldn't stop. It was constant and pervasive and all it did was remind him of how weak he was. The base of the music pounded in his head, still smelling the stench of smoke and liquor. He wanted it to go away. He wanted it all to go away…_

Barely opening eyes, Danny slammed the alarm clock with his hand to make it shut off and then stubbornly covered his head with a pillow to block out the slivers of sunlight coming in through the blinds.

The sheets twisted around his naked body were evidence of a night of restless sleep. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried to will himself into a dreamless sleep because the night before kept invading his mind.

_He hadn't been there in almost a year. The last time he came, he'd brought a date – a girl he'd been seeing off and on who he'd met at the gym. She was young, just 22, and not looking for anything serious, which suited Danny fine at the time._

_It was just a couple of months after that when he'd realized his feelings for Elena and everything changed._

_But on this night, he didn't come with anyone. The club was packed and loud, but he managed to find a seat at the bar. Looking around at all the people, he noticed they all seemed so young or maybe he just felt really old. He knew he'd outgrown all of this, but he hadn't known anywhere else to go. It was places like this that he'd come to so he could get lost in the music and bodies. He could completely disconnect and not feel anything. That was the feeling he'd wanted to achieve tonight, hopefully without the help of alcohol._

_"What'll it be?" the bartender asked._

_"Um, just a club soda please," he said, the tension in his shoulders lessening when he didn't order a scotch._

_Putting some money on the bar, he leaned forward as the bartender set his drink down. "Does Mandy still work here?" Danny asked. "She was working here about a year ago, I think."_

_Nodding, the bartender motioned over to a roped off area upstairs. "She works in the VIP area now. You know her?"_

_"Used to. Is she here tonight?" Danny asked, and part of him was praying that she wouldn't be. If she wasn't there, there would be less temptation and maybe he'd just go home._

_But the bartender nodded again. "She's here. What's your name? I'll call up there and let her know you're here."_

_Danny took a breath as he tried to stop himself from doing something stupid. All he had to do was say no and then walk out the door. "Danny. My name's Danny Taylor."_

A new noise now threatened to invade his sleep. This noise was just as persistent, but less threatening than the music. Opening his eyes under the cover of the pillow, Danny groaned as he reached over to the nightstand and grabbed the ringing cell phone.

"Taylor," he answered in a gruff tone.

"Sounds like someone had a rough night," Martin responded, instead of saying hello.

"Christ, what time is it? Am I late?" he asked, trying to focus so he could see the clock on the nightstand.

"No, no. You're not late. I haven't even left for work yet, but I wanted to talk to you about something before we go in today. Want to meet me at Frank's?" Martin asked. It was a greasy spoon diner not far from the federal building. Danny hated it, but Martin loved eating breakfast there about once a week.

Danny groaned. "I don't know, man. The last couple of days, with no sleep, kind of caught up with me."

"Look it won't take long. Just stop by there on your way in. I'll still be there."

"Okay," Danny agreed reluctantly, knowing Martin would think something was really wrong if he protested too much.

_Now sitting in one of the private, purple velvets booths in the VIP area, Danny looked down at what he was wearing – jeans and a blue button-down shirt. Throughout the club, people were dressed in all different ways, but he could tell the VIP section clearly had a certain dress code. The women were all in short, revealing dresses with stiletto heals and the men were dressed in Armani or Hugo Boss._

_But Danny didn't really care about that. All he cared about was getting to a point where he stopped feeling the pain of her not wanting him anymore._

_"Danny Taylor, are my eyes deceiving me?" she asked as she pulled the curtains closed so that the booth could no longer been seen from the VIP area. _

_Mandy – a tall blonde with ice blue eyes and a killer body, she couldn't look more different from Elena if she tried. He met her three years ago when he came here with a couple of old law school buddies. They'd danced together during a couple of her breaks and then she lead him to one of the back rooms where they made out like crazy. That night led to brief sexual affair between them that ended when she decided to go back to an old boyfriend. From then on, Danny would check in with her periodically when he was feeling lonely. If she were willing, then they would occasionally hook up. _

_Of course, this changed after he'd realized his feelings for Elena. Everything had changed after that. _

_Taking a seat next him, she put her hand on his thigh. "Where the hell have you been? The last time I saw you here, you were with some silly little co-ed."_

"_I've just been busy. How about you? What's going on with you?" he asked in a quiet, noncommittal tone._

_Even though his question was vague, they both knew what he was really asking. Was she willing to sleep with him tonight?_

_Smiling, Mandy leaned close as her hand continued to trace small circles on his thigh. "There's a boyfriend, a fiancé, actually," she said, raising hand her to show a small diamond on her left hand. "But I won't tell him, if you won't," she finished as she closed the distance between them for a kiss. _

_The voice in his head was telling him to stop, but instead, he pulled her closer and deepened the kiss. _

Wearily rubbing his eyes, Danny entered Frank's Diner. He'd barely had enough energy to stumble into the shower. Needless to say, he wasn't looking his best, and Martin couldn't help but notice.

"Five bucks says Jack notices that you haven't shaved within five seconds of seeing you this morning," Martin said, looking up from his plate full of fried breakfast food.

Shrugging, Danny rolled his eyes as he collapsed into the both across from Martin. "Screw Jack," he mumbled.

Martin's eye's widened at Danny's response. Usually, if Danny made these types of comments, they were always with a lighthearted, sarcastic grin. But there was nothing comical about his tone. He sounded surly and pissed off.

"What happened last night? You look like hell," Martin said in a concerned tone.

Running a hand through his hair, Danny tossed Martin a glance like that last thing he wanted to talk about was last night.

"Morning, what can I get you?" the waitress asked as she approached their table.

"Just coffee, please. Thanks," Danny replied.

When the waitress walked away, Martin continued. "Are you okay?" The tone of the question was probing like Martin just wanted confirmation that Danny hadn't done anything stupid last night. Knowing that Elena had intended on breaking up with Danny, Martin had reason to be concerned – especially since he knew that Elena wouldn't give Danny the real reason for leaving him.

"I'm fine. I'm just tired," Danny answered in a quiet tone. "In fact, after we're done here, I might take a sick day if we don't have a case. I'm just feeling crappy."

"Maybe that's a good idea," Martin replied, knowing it would be hard for Danny to see Elena.

"What did you want to talk about?"

Suddenly remembering the reason for asking Danny there, Martin eyes lit up. "I, um, after we talked the other day and you told me that you were thinking about leaving, I remembered that I have a contact that you really need to talk to. Her father is the senior partner at Thomson, Hiller and Vine. She's a senior associate there, Camille Thomson. Our fathers are old college friends. We practically grew up together. I called her about you."

Danny's eyes widened in surprise. "Me? Geeze, Martin. I thought you didn't want me to leave and now you're my agent?"

"No, I mean, I don't want you to go, but if you're going anyway, then why not check out all the options? This firm would be a great opportunity."

Nodding, Danny agreed, "Yeah, I mean, I was focusing on the US attorney's office, because I wanted to find something fast. I've already talked to someone there, but I don't really have the time to pursue law firm gigs."

"This won't take any time at all. Just talk to Camille and then you'll have a better feel if its something you can move into quickly," he said as he slid his friend's card over to Danny.

Martin couldn't believe he was not only encouraging Danny, but also helping him leave the FBI. After Elena had confided in him, he knew that Danny would want to leave more than ever. Just looking at him that morning, Martin knew that Elena had likely already ended things. As much as Martin wanted to tell Danny the truth, he knew it wasn't his place. So the least he could do is help him find the best opportunity possible.

"Thanks, Martin. I appreciate it," Danny said as he took a sip of coffee. "Now more than ever, I think I need a fresh start.

* * *

He did what he'd told Martin he would do and called in sick. Jack was positively shocked since he could count on less than a hand the number of times Danny had called in sick in the last ten years.

Not really wanting to go home, Danny started walking. Eventually, he found himself on a subway platform boarding a train to Queens.

He didn't even know if anyone would be home, but he took a chance. This is probably what he should have done last night.

_He and Mandy made out on the VIP couch for what seemed like forever. She was straddling his lap, grinding against him and literally all over him to the point where his blue button down wasn't buttoned at all anymore. Occasionally, he'd look up at the curtain that shielded them; almost hoping that someone would interrupt them. But no one did._

_"Hey," she whispered his ear. "Wanna just go for it here? No one will interrupt us. I don't know if I can wait."_

_Feeling her hot breath against his neck, Danny closed his eyes. All he could see was Elena's face that last night he made love to her, feeling her breath against his skin. Opening his eyes quickly, hoping her face would disappear, he tilted Mandy's chin to look in her eyes. This wasn't Elena. It wasn't her. He didn't need her anymore._

_Leaning forward, Mandy kissed him on the lips. "I forgot how good you were at this," she as she reached into the small pocket of her mini-skirt. Pulling out a condom, she ran her hand down his bare chest and stomach and then started to unbutton his jeans. "No one will know, just like old times."_

After knocking on the door, Danny waited for a few moments. He heard her shuffle to the door, and then murmured something in a surprised tone after seeing him through the peephole.

Opening the door, Sylvia greeted him with Cristina bouncing on her hip. "Danny! This is a surprise!"

"Tio!" Cristina said as she almost flew into Danny's arms.

"Hi," he said as he held the toddler close as she hugged him around his neck. Leaning forward, he kissed Sylvia's cheek, "Sorry I didn't call."

"That's okay. You can come anytime, especially since I can now move around with two arms," Sylvia said as he followed her into the apartment. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Danny nodded as he sat down on the sofa and shifted Cristina to his knee. "I took a personal day. We had a tough case end yesterday and I hadn't gotten any sleep."

"So you came here? Why aren't you home resting?" she asked, voice full of concern.

Shrugging, Danny stroked Cristina's hair. "I'm tired, but I can't seem to sleep."

Sylvia looked at him sympathetically. "You sound down. Are you doing okay?"

"I'm hanging in there. What are you guys up to today?" he asked as he looked at Cristina.

"Mommy…work," Cristina answered. "Me, go to abuela's."

"That's right. I work the noon to eight shift, so I was going to drop Cristina off on my way. I was just getting this place picked up before we headed out."

"Why don't I watch her today?" Danny asked suddenly. "And then, she and I can get Nicky from school and I can take them to a movie or dinner or something."

Sylvia smiled. "That sounds really great, but I thought you needed rest. Keeping up with a two year old is—"

"Three!" Cristina corrected. "I'm three now," she said, holding up three fingers to Danny which made him smile.

"Sorry, a three year old, is far from relaxing."

"I can handle it, Sylvia. Maybe if I do this then I can get my head straight so I can actually get some sleep tonight."

"What's wrong, Danny? What is it?"

Looking down at Cristina, he smiled sadly, thinking of Sophie. "Elena…Elena broke up with me. She doesn't think we have a future together."

"Oh, Danny," Sylvia said as she sat down next to him. "I'm sorry. I know you really care about her and Sophie. Poor Sophie. She loves you so much. Does she know?"

"We told her yesterday. It was awful. I should have never let her get so close to me. It was stupid."

"Why did Elena do it? I mean, how could she not think you have a future? You have the same job, you love her kid, and you're completely crazy about both of them. I don't get it."

"Me, either, but she didn't exactly mince words. She…she said she doesn't love me."

Sylvia shook her head. She couldn't imagine what Elena was thinking. Of course, Danny had flaws, but at his core, he was a sweet, compassionate, funny man who most women would give anything to be with. .

"So I need a diversion," Danny said as looked at Cristina again. "And I need to not feel so self-absorbed, and I think Cristina is just what the doctor ordered."

"Me?" the little girl said as she looked at him with an enchanting smile.

"You," he replied as he planted a kiss on her forehead.

* * *

Shortly after Sylvia left, Danny fed Cristina lunch and then they played "monster" where Danny chased her around the apartment until he caught her and tossed her in the air, all while she laughed hysterically.

Then it was her naptime, so he took her into Sylvia's room and lay down next to her. He read her book after book until she finally fell asleep with her head nestled in the crook of his arm. Leaning his head against the pillow, he closed his eyes.

_"Whoa, whoa," Danny said as Mandy started to unzip his jeans._

_"What? You don't want to do it here? You want to go back to your place? Can't do that till 2 am, baby."_

_Carefully regarding her for a few moments, he tucked her hair behind her ears. "Can I ask you a question?"_

_"Sure," she answered with a confused smile._

_"Do you think your fiancé is in love with you?"_

_Her smile turning into a frown, she sat back against his thighs. "What?"_

_"Is he in love with you?" Danny asked again._

_"Why are you asking me this? I don't want to talk about him…now."_

_"Why are you willing to risk losing him to do this?"_

_"He'll never know about this, Danny. Unless you tell him"_

_"No, I mean, do you love him?"_

_"Of course."_

_"Then I don't understand—"_

_"What's wrong with you, Danny? You've never cared before. You never let that get in the way of a good time."_

_"I know. And I kind of hate myself because of that, especially now. What the hell is wrong with me?" he asked as he leaned forward and carefully moved her off of him. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry if I've ever hurt your feelings or lead you on. I…I—"_

_"Danny, you never did that. You were always honest."_

_"Yeah, but that doesn't make it right. Every time I think I'm okay and that I have my issues taken care of…something like this happens. I'm just…I'm really sorry," he said as he reached out and squeezed her hand. "If you love your fiancé and he loves you and you think you can make it work, then don't screw it up for jerks like me. I know it's scary. Commitment. Commitment is scary. But when you find the right person, it's worth it," he said as he stood and opened the curtain. "Take care. I gotta get out of here._

Danny's mind went blank as he listened to the steady, even breathing of the toddler next to him. Within minutes, he was fast asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Walking in to the bullpen, the first thing Elena noticed was that Danny was back. He was talking on the phone in that animated, easy-going way of his. As she came closer, he glanced up at her. After spotting her, that easy-going look on his face immediately changed to something uncomfortable as he quickly looked away continuing his phone conversation.

Taking a deep breath, Elena addressed the others. "Good morning," she said while making her way to her desk.

Sam, Martin and Vivian all said good morning to her as she put her purse on her desk. Before she could even sit down, Jack entered the area.

"We have a new case this morning. Kyle Wentworth, 35. He's a teacher at Currington Academy. Married with two kids," Jacks said as he taped the man's picture to the whiteboard.

Walking back toward the bullpen, Elena focused on Jack as he brought them all up to speed with the details of the case. After telling them all what he knew, he told them what he wanted them to do next.

"Viv, Elena, Martin – I'd like you to head out to Currington. He was last seen leaving there last night. The locals have done some interviews. We need to talk to any teacher or student who may have seen him last night. Sam, you're with me. We're going to talk to his wife and other family members that have gathered at his house. Danny, you're on his background and financials here at the office. Call me if anything suspicious pops up."

Hearing Danny's name, Elena glanced at him. He'd gotten off the phone as soon as Jack entered the bullpen. Nodding to Jack, he took a file from him to start the background-gathering process.

"Elena…Elena," Vivian said.

"Yes," she responded turning away from Danny and re-focusing.

"Ready to go?" Vivian asked, clearly noticing Elena's distraction.

"Sure. Let's go," she said as she headed back to her desk to gather her things.

Elena rode with Vivian as they followed Martin in another car to Currington Academy. Elena purposely stayed close to Vivian, so she wouldn't have to ride with Martin – not wanting to talk to him anymore about Carlos or Danny.

About twenty minutes in to the forty-five minute drive, Elena's cell phone rang. Looking at the display, she saw that it was her mother.

"Hola, mama," she greeted, after opening the phone. "Is everything okay with Sophie?"

Hearing her mother's heavy sigh on the other end, Elena asked, "What's wrong?"

"Sophie is refusing to go to school. She says she doesn't feel well, but she doesn't have a temperature or stuffiness. She seems fine."

Noticing that Viv looked worried, Elena rolled her eyes as she assured her, "Sophie just says she's sick." Returning her attention to her mother, Elena said, "Put Sophie on. Let me talk to her."

After a few seconds, she heard Sophie's voice. "I'm sick, mommy."

"Mamita, are you sure? If you miss today, then you won't be able to be in the play, remember?"

"I don't care about the stupid play," Sophie responded in a whiny tone.

"Sophie, that's no way to talk. We don't say words like that, is that understood?"

At first, Sophie didn't respond. Then Elena repeated in a more stern tone. "Entiendes?"

"Si, mami, but I don't want to be in the play."

"But why, baby? You were so excited when—" Elena almost referred to Sophie telling her and Danny about it, but then stopped herself. "What's wrong, Sophie?"

"I'm sick, mami. Please don't make me go to school today," she cried.

Sighing heavily, Elena replied, "You can lay back down for another hour or so, but no television. You have to rest. When I call back, if you're feeling better, then abuela will take you to school a little late. If you really don't want to be in the play, then I'll call your teacher and let her know."

"Okay," she responded quietly.

"Put your abuela back on. Te amo, mamita."

Sophie didn't responded, she just handed the phone to her grandmother. Running a hand through her hair, Elena spoke to her mother one more time before closing her phone and sighing heavily.

"So Sophie's already at the 'talking back' age?" Vivian asked knowingly. "I wish I could say it's just a phase."

Elena smiled as she glanced at Vivian. "She's a good girl; she's just going through a tough time. I can't really get angry with her, since most of it is my doing."

Quickly looking at Elena, Viv shook her head. "What Carlos has done isn't your fault, Elena. You have to give yourself a break on that."

"It's not about the kidnapping. It's…it's…," Elena trailed off, not finding the right words.

"It's about Danny?" Vivian finished. "Is she having trouble accepting him as part of your life?"

Vivian's question caused Elena to almost smile at the impossible prospect of Sophie not accepting Danny. "No, no, on the contrary. She loves Danny so much," she replied as her smiled faded. Deciding to just come clean, Elena admitted, "She blames me because Danny and I broke up."

"Oh," Vivian said, her voice surprised. "I didn't know. I mean, I knew that you were both kind of navigating your way through things, but I'd assumed that you were back together."

"We were. I mean, we were trying, but it just didn't work out," Elena lied. It had been working perfectly, but staying together wasn't worth risking Danny or his family being hurt. "When we told Sophie, she was devastated and she still hasn't gotten over it. So now, she's sour on everything: school, playing with friends, the school play, and me, especially me."

"Well for what it's worth, I'm sorry to hear about that. When you and Danny connected, I really thought it was a great fit. I can't imagine how hard it is to be a single mother, let alone try to date. Because Danny's so great with kids and you two have so much in common, I thought—"

Hearing Vivian's remarks were making Elena feel emotional. No wanting to cry, she cut Vivian off, "Thanks, Viv. It's been tough getting through it, but it's for the best."

Realizing that Elena didn't want to talk about it anymore, Vivian stopped talking and just focused on the road in front of her.

Wiping the corners of her eyes, Elena sniffed slightly as she tried not to show Vivian how much she was hurting. She'd spent the past two nights crying herself to sleep, so she completely understood why Sophie was upset. Elena literally couldn't believe how much she missed everything about him.

* * *

After spending the morning doing interviews, Vivian and Elena returned to the office while Martin stayed behind to follow up on a few leads. Vivian pulled into a parking place in front of the building because she knew they'd be leaving again soon. As Elena exited the car, something or rather someone caught her attention across the street. Danny was sitting at a table near the window of the Starbucks. There was an attractive woman sitting across from him. Elena would have assumed it was about the case, except the way Danny was interacting with the woman told her otherwise. They were laughing and Danny was leaning toward her like he was hanging on her every word. Suddenly feeling nauseous, Elena braced herself by putting her hand on the hood of the car.

"You okay?" Vivian asked as she came around from the driver's side.

Quickly, Elena just nodded as she fell in step with Vivian on the way back into the building.

Once upstairs, she and Vivian conferred with Sam about what they had found at Currington. Two witnesses said that it had looked like their missing person got into a car with someone last night. They'd found security footage that backed this up, and also made it look like he didn't go willingly.

In the midst of discussing where they were in the case, Jack came in and interrupted, "Where the hell is Danny?" he asked, looking at Sam.

Elena glanced at Samantha, extremely interested in her answer.

"Oh, he had a lunch meeting that he had to get to. He was going to tell you, but you were on the phone. He'll be back in a half hour."

Sighing heavily, Jack turned to head back to his office. Before getting too far, he called out, "Tell him I need to see him as soon as he gets back!"

"Okay," Sam replied. "Wondering what Danny did to deserve that wrath?"

Vivian just shrugged as she returned to her desk.

Frowning, Elena turned to return to her desk as well. She had no idea why Jack wanted Danny, but she certainly was curious about who we was with. Sam had just confirmed that his "meeting" had nothing to do with the case. Was it really possible that he could have moved on so quickly, after just three days? Was Carlos right when he'd said that Danny was just one step away from falling back into his old womanizing patterns?


	13. Chapter 13

A/N -- Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

Pushing open the door to the men's room, Danny wanted to hit something. The last few days had been a roller coaster of ups and downs, and currently, he was in another valley. He'd spent almost ten years working for Jack. Through all the years, he'd always been loyal to him even when they'd disagreed. And really, up until a couple of years ago, he hadn't even had that many disagreements with Jack. Whether Danny meant to or not, he'd often found himself looking up to Jack as almost a father figure. It's what made it hard when Jack's faults would surface, and lately, they were surfacing more often than not.

Underneath the anger and frustration, Danny felt hurt more than anything. In the last ten years, he'd done almost anything and everything that Jack had asked him to do without question. The FBI and Missing Persons had become his life, his priority. He was proud of the work he'd done and had thought that Jack valued his commitment. But after the conversation he'd just had with Jack, Danny wondered if Jack valued him at all. .

"_Hey," Danny said as he entered Jack's office. "Sam said you were looking for me. I had an appointment—"_

_Not even bothering to look up from a file he'd been reading, Jack interrupted. "What? Now are you job hunting on my time?" he asked in an annoyed tone._

_For a moment, Danny wasn't sure he'd heard him right. "Ex..excuse me?"_

"_You heard me. When exactly did you plan on telling me that you were leaving? And why the hell did I have to hear about it from a third party?" he barked._

_Sighing heavily, Danny sat down in the chair across from Jack. "Who told you?" The only person he'd told was Martin and he couldn't imagine that Martin would tell Jack. _

"_Oh it was purely by accident. Had I not heard it from Lance Reynolds in the US attorney's office, then I probably wouldn't have known until you decided to grace me with your notice. I think you owe me a little more than that, Danny. Or are you still acting like a pouty kid and punishing me for the whole Carlos thing?"_

_Frowning, Danny shook his head as he tried to contain his anger. "Punishing you? Are you kidding me? Jack, I haven't told you because I haven't made up my mind yet. I've had one conversation with US Attorney Reynolds. He had no right—"_

"_I called him about the warrants we needed in the Wentworth case. It's looking likely that he's been taken across state lines. In passing, he happened to mention how lucky they were to be getting someone with your experience…yada, yada, yada. I guess he assumed you'd have the courtesy to tell me what you'd been considering."_

_Completely stunned by Jack's tone, Danny responded, "The courtesy? You're lecturing me on being courteous? Like I said, I'm still trying to figure things out. This all has been happening fast, and I don't know—"_

"_What the hell's your hurry anyway?" Jack cut him off. "Don't tell me you're ready to propose to Elena? Do you care at all about what the fallout from that would be? I honestly can't figure you out anymore. You—"_

_Hearing Jack's comments, Danny rose from his chair quickly, "It's not your job to figure me out. I have every right to explore opportunities. And maybe you don't remember, but a couple of years ago I did tell you that this was something I wanted to pursue. You were one of the only people that I ever told that to, but clearly you were too absorbed in your own problems to really hear me. That's nothing new. For the record, I had every intention of giving you plenty of notice. I'd never just leave…I care too much about this team to do that. If you knew me at all, you'd know that," Turning abruptly, Danny started to walk out. _

"_Danny, Danny," Jack called out _

_But Danny kept walking._

After splashing cold water on his face, Danny looked at himself in the mirror as he dried off. Being at odds with Jack always made Danny feel bad. He hated to think he'd disappointed him, but at the same time, it seemed like lately, there was nothing he could do to please Jack. Truthfully, their relationship had deteriorated after the fallout of the ambush and Dornvald. They'd never really gotten back on track and Jack had had to deal with so many issues in his personal life, that Danny had just let a lot of things go. So now that he was ready to leave, Jack was misreading the whole situation. To top it off, Jack's assumptions about him and Elena sent him over the edge. Jack's personal life had been a mess for years, and yet he thinks he knows what's best for Elena and Sophie? Danny shook his head, realizing that Jack will probably be happy to hear that Elena had dumped him.

Danny walked back to his desk, intent on refocusing his energy on find their missing person. Checking his computer, he ran Wentworth's credit cards again hoping to see some kind of activity, but there was nothing. Sighing, he opened a couple of file folders that contained financial statements for Wentworth and his wife. Danny had been over them earlier, but maybe he'd missed something.

"Got a minute?" Vivian asked as she approached his desk.

"Seems so. I can't find any solid lead on Wentworth."

"Well we might have something. One of Wentworth's colleague's, Randy Wilson, is also no where to be found. Martin did some checking up at Currington. Apparently, Wilson used to date Wentworth's wife and still has a torch."

"So he took our guy out of jealousy?"

"Or to eliminate the competition. Sam's on her way to meet Martin. Based on some maps Martin found at Wilson's apartment, it looks like he may be heading to the border. While they track Wilson, Jack and I are heading back to the Wentworth house. Maybe Wilson will call in a ransom."

"I'll track the APBs and any sightings from here," Danny said as finished taking notes from Vivian's update.

"Great," Vivian said as she continued to stand in front of him with a strange look on her face.

"Is there something else?" Danny asked.

Vivian nodded, "I saw you storm out of Jack's office, so I asked him what happened. Danny, you know Jack. He's not always the most tactful—"

"Oh, I know. But this time, not only wasn't he tactful, but he was a jackass as well."

Smiling sadly, Vivian sighed. "He didn't mean the things he said. He was just taken by surprise, as was I."

Closing his eyes for a moment, he breathed deeply. "I planned on telling you. Things have been…things have been a mess lately, Viv. I've just been trying to keep my head above water, you know?"

"I understand and I support any decision you need to make to be happy and healthy," she said, reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. "Despite what Jack said to you, so does he."

"_What was that all about?" Vivian asked as she entered Jack's office after she'd just watched Danny storm out. _

_Jack shrugged as he sighed heavily. "I pissed him off. I've been doing that a lot lately."_

"_What do you mean 'pissed him off'? What did you say?" Viv asked as she leaned forward, folding her arms in front of her chest. _

_Jack relayed his intense argument with Danny. When he mentioned the part about Danny leaving, he saw sadness flash in Vivian's eyes. He and Vivian had worked with Danny since he'd first joined the team. He knew that Danny had a special place in Vivian's heart. _

_Shaking her head, Vivian took a seat in front him. "What's wrong with you, Jack? If Danny is seriously considering leaving, it can't be easy for him. This has been his home for a very long time."_

"_I overreacted when I got the news from someone other than Danny. It was a mistake. I thought he was doing all this because he was still angry about the whole Carlos debacle."_

"_Well I can assure you, if this has anything to do with that, it's because he needs space from the whole Elena/Carlos thing. He and Elena aren't together anymore. She broke up with him."_

"_Oh," Jack mumbled, remembering the insensitive remark he'd made to Danny about Elena. "Look, I screwed up. I'll talk to him after we get a handle on this Wentworth case."_

"_You better. He's been nothing but loyal to you and this team. He deserves a lot more than you scolding him for leaving him out of the loop. He needs our support, Jack."_

Danny couldn't help but smile as Vivian explained Jack's behavior. Some things would never change, even after all this time.

"What's so funny?"

Danny shook his head. "Nothing. You just…I'll miss you, Vivalina. That's all."

Returning his smile, Vivian was about to respond when her phone rang. "Johnson," she answered. "Yeah, I'll be down in a minute," she said as she closed her phone and looked at Danny. "Jack's ready to head out. We'll talk more later. I want to hear all about this new opportunity."

"Count on it," Danny replied as he rose from his desk. "Listen, I'll call you guys if anything pops on the APBs."

"Great," she said as she walked out of the bullpen.

Thirty minutes later, Danny was still at his desk monitoring the APBs and coordinating the efforts to track Wilson's car. So far, they hadn't had much luck, but he still tried to look busy with what he was doing. Shortly after Vivian left, Elena had entered the bullpen and went to her desk. If it had been a week ago, they would have been working together at the center table. But now, he just wanted to avoid her as much as possible. Being close to her was just too hard. Thankfully, she seemed to want the same thing because she hadn't even asked him for an update on what was happening with the case.

Glancing over in her direction, he saw her running her hand through her long, black hair as she spoke on the phone. Just looking at the back of her head still made his heart beat faster and his palms sweat.

The ringing of his cell phone refocused his attention. "Taylor, " he answered. "You're kidding? South?...Okay, wait a second."

Taking the phone from his ear, Danny looked at the display. The officer that called him had just sent a picture of the suspect that had been spotted at a gas station. When the picture showed up on the phone, he compared it to the photo on the whiteboard. It was definitely Wilson. He'd obviously ditched the car they'd been tracking.

Putting the phone back to his ear, he continued. "Okay. Just, um, stay on him and try to set up a road block, but use caution. Wentworth may still be in the car with him. I'm going to update my boss and then I'll head down there. I'll call you when I'm on my way," Danny said as he stood up and ended the call

Elena, who must have heard him, walked over to his desk as he speed-dialed Jack. Knowing she needed to be updated as well, he clicked the speaker button on the phone, so she would hear the whole conversation.

"Malone," Jack answered.

"Wilson is headed south, Jack," Danny said as he looked at Elena. "Highway Patrol just sent me a picture. It's definitely Wilson," he said as he turned the phone toward Elena so she could see the picture.

"Where south?" Jack asked.

"Heading down the Beltway, about to enter Virginia. They're in the midst of a low-speed chase right now. Wilson won't pull over."

"Have them set up a road block—"

"Already done," Danny interrupted. "I told them to use caution. I'll head down there, but it'll take me a few hours."

"No, that will take too long. I'll call and get a chopper approved so you can get there sooner. We can't lose jurisdiction over this. Take Elena with you for back-up."

Hearing this, they both looked at each other with slight dread in their eyes. "That's not necessary, Jack. I can handle—"

"Is Elena on the line?" Jack asked, knowing he was on speaker phone.

"Yes," she answered. "I can go, No problem, Jack. There should be two of us down there if things get out of hand."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Danny said. "We're headed out now. I'll keep you posted."

Within minutes, they were on the roof of the building waiting for the helicopter to land. Elena was on the phone with highway patrol getting an update on the road block.

Closing her phone, she glanced at him. "They've set up the road block about twenty minutes across the state line. They are trying to divert traffic from the road now. Will they be able to land this thing on the highway?" Elena asked, excited because she'd never ridden in one before.

"They can land it anywhere," Danny replied as he kept his eyes focused straight ahead. He'd ridden in them plenty of times before, and they still made him nervous as hell. However, he had no intention of letting Elena in on that.

From his clipped tone, Elena could tell that he was agitated. "Look, Danny, we have to work together. You can't cut me out of cases because you don't want to work with me. "

Frowning, he turned to her. "I didn't cut you out. When the lead came in, I showed you Wilson's picture. I involved you in the conversation with Jack—"

"But you didn't want me to come with you as backup. That was crystal clear."

"That wasn't about cutting you out. That was just about knowing that Sophie has rehearsal tonight and she'll be upset that you aren't there. I was just trying to give you an out so you could be with her tonight. _Trust me;_ I would have done the same thing a week ago."

Closing her eyes, Elena felt her chest tighten after hearing his considerate words. This was going to be much harder than she thought. "I'm sorry. That was very thoughtful. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that."

Shrugging, Danny just mumbled, "Whatever," as he focused his attention on the tarmac in front of him.

"She's not going to be in the play, so I won't be missing it," Elena responded in a disappointed tone.

"Why not?" Danny asked, and then immediately regretted that he was still so invested in their lives.

Elena shook her head. "I don't know. She hasn't been herself. I'm trying to give her a little space right now while she tries to process everything that has happened."

Danny's first instinct was to ask Elena if she wanted him to talk to Sophie, but he knew he couldn't be there like that for Sophie anymore. Still, he felt bad that he was a part of why Sophie was sad right now, so he wanted to say something. "She'll be okay. Just give her a little time," he said as he looked at her with concerned eyes.

Elena returned the look and was immediately lost in his stare. "Thanks," she replied quietly.

Above them a loud noise caught their attention. Both thankful for the diversion, they looked up to see the helicopter landing.

* * *

By the time the helicopter landed in Virginia, Randy Wilson had already met the road block. Instead of stopping, he sped up to try and break through. In doing so, he crashed and spun his car out until it flipped numerous times.

As Danny and Elena approached the scene from above, they took in the remnants of the car crash. There wasn't much left of the car as the rescue workers worked to get into the heap of metal. After the helicopter landed, Danny hopped out and then held his hand out to help Elena down. Once they were clear of the helicopter, they could finally speak.

"This does not look good," Danny started.

Elena agreed. "If Wentworth is in the car, I don't know how he would survive.

Holding up their badges up, they approached a highway patrolmen. "Who's in charge here?" Danny asked.

The patrolmen pointed to a portly man with a Sheriff's uniform. Approaching the man, Danny flashed his badge again. "Excuse me, sir. I'm Special Agent Taylor. This is Special Agent Delgado. Have you been able to see if our missing person is in the car yet?

The sheriff held out his hand to shake both Danny and Elena's, then he spoke. "I'm Sheriff Waller. This turned out to be a real mess. We pulled Randy Wilson from the car. They're working to stabilize him over there," he said motioned to the ambulance.

"What about Wentworth?" Elena asked.

"We're trying to get the trunk open, but we don't want to force it in case he's in there. So far, there's no signs of life, so if he's in there he's not likely alive."

Nodding, Danny responded, "You mind if we talk to Wilson?" Technically, Wilson was their suspect, but Danny had learned to be diplomatic with these small town sheriffs.

"You can try, but I doubt he's conscience. They're going to transport him to an Emergency clinic in Paris, right up the road. They have a very good emergency doctor who lives in the area. He'll work on this guy and your missing person if we find him."

"Thank you," Elena said as she and Danny turned to find Wilson.

As he approached the wreck and then caught sight of the paramedics working on Wilson, Danny's stomach tightened. He did everything he could to hide his nervousness about flying from Elena, but just coming from that coupled with witnessing the all too familiar car crash scene made Danny queasy. Stopping suddenly, he couldn't help but see flashes of Martin after the ambush and further back, his bloody parents being pulled from their mangled car.

Realizing that Danny wasn't in step with her anymore, Elena turned around to find that he looked white as a ghost. She could see he was trying to take a few deep breaths as he leaned against a police car. Walking towards him, she called out, "Danny? You okay?"

Suddenly feeling stupid, Danny shook his head. "I'm fine. I'm fine," he said, waving her off. "Just, um, can you check with the paramedics to see if Wilson is conscious?"

Feeling a strong pull to comfort him, Elena hesitated as she looked at him with concern. Taking another step towards him, she flinched as he raised his hand.

"Can you please just do your damn job and talk to Wilson. I'm fine!" he yelled in a harsh tone.

Feeling like he'd just punched her, Elena turned back quickly and headed over to the ambulance.

Continuing to take deep breaths, Danny tried to get his anxiety under control.

* * *

Their missing person wasn't in the trunk, which was good and bad. It was good because there was a possibility he was still alive. It was bad because it was more likely that Wilson had already killed him and had been trying to make a getaway.

Randy Wilson still hadn't regained consciousness. Danny and Elena were sitting in the small emergency clinic in Paris, Virginia. They hadn't spoken again about Danny's reaction to the accident scene, instead just focusing on the case. As they sat in silence, Danny knew he had to say something.

"I'm sorry," he said as he glanced over at her. "I'm sorry that I yelled at you like that."

Looking at him, she tucked her hair behind her ear. "I was just worried. You changed from being in control to…I don't know what…in the blink of an eye."

Rubbing his eyes, he looked straight ahead. "It's difficult to explain, Elena. I don't want to get into it, but I'm fine now."

"You can talk to me," she said as she reached out to touch his arm.

Pulling his arm away, he replied, "No, I can't. Not with you."

Feeling hurt by the honesty of his words, she looked down at her hands not sure what else to say.

"Agents?" a doctor called out as he walked towards them.

Rising from their chairs, Danny didn't waste time with pleasantries, "Is Wilson conscious?"

"I'm sorry, no, but we have stabilized him. He's currently in a coma, due to swelling on his brain. If it doesn't go down by morning, we'll have to medivac him so he can get surgery."

"Can't you medivac him now? If we can get him to New York, then we can just question him there," Danny suggested.

"No, I'm sorry. Moving him now is a very bad idea. We need to have him stabilized for at least twelve hours after the injuries he's received."

Rolling his eyes, Danny was about to make a flippant remark about Wentworth not having twelve hours, but Elena spoke first. "Is it possible he could come out of the coma prior to the twelve hours?"

"It's definitely possible. The swelling could go down quickly. We just don't know, but we can't move him now," the doctor reiterated. "I'll be monitoring him tonight, so if you need anything the nurse's station can page me," he said as he walked away.

"Thank you, doctor," Elena responded.

Pulling out his phone, Danny hit the button in frustration. "Unbelievable," he mumbled.

"Malone," Jack answered.

"Wilson's in a coma. The doctor won't sign off on transporting him to New York for twelve hours."

"Great, just great," Jack replied in a frustrated tone. "Was there any evidence in the car?"

"There was very little left to the car at all and definitely no sign of our guy."

Jack signed as he thought for a few moments. "You up for staying there for the night, just in case Wilson wakes up?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Danny shrugged. "I might have to just hijack a bed here because I honestly don't think Paris, Virginia has a motel. But yeah, I'll stay. Only one of us needs to, though. Elena can take the chopper back."

"The helicopter was diverted to DC for some bigwig. If she needs to get home, then we can get her a car. Let me talk to her."

Handing the phone to Elena, Danny sat back down in the chair.

"Jack?" Elena answered.

"If you need to get home—"

"It's fine, Jack. Sophie's covered. Maybe Wilson will wake up soon and we can head back after we talk to him."

"You sure? I can get a car there for you in no time."

"I'm sure. Thanks, Jack. We'll call you if something happens," she said before ending the call.

Handing the phone back to Danny, Elena took a seat next to him.

"You could have gone home. I don't need backup to watch out for a guy in a coma," Danny deadpanned.

"You just had some kind of attack less than an hour ago. You don't have to tell me what happened, but I'm not going to leave you here alone," Elena responded, her voice still laced with concern.

Rolling his eyes, Danny just tilted his head back and closed his eyes.


	14. Chapter 14

Still sitting on the hard plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room, Danny and Elena hadn't yet discussed what they would do until Wilson woke up. Occasionally, Elena would glance over at Danny, who seemed perfectly content with reading the Sport section of the USA today.

Deciding she needed to get up, she rose out of her chair. Seeing that that didn't even get Danny's attention, she finally said, "I'm going to find something to eat."

Without looking up, he responded, "Okay."

"Would you like anything?" she asked, hating that it was like pulling teeth getting him to talk.

Danny just shrugged. "No. Thanks. Not hungry."

"How can you not be hungry? Lunch came and went—" and then she stopped, remembering that she'd seen him with someone at lunch earlier in the day.

When she stopped talking, Danny looked up. "What do you mean it came and went?"

"Nothing. I meant it came and went for me. I didn't eat anything, but it sounds like you had time to get away today," she replied as she tried to keep her tone cool.

Narrowing his eyes, he almost said something, but then didn't.

"I'll be back," Elena said as she turned on her heel and walked down the hall. As she passed the entrance to the hospital, she heard her named called.

"Agent Delgado?" Sheriff Waller called out.

"Hi," Elena responded as she stopped in front of him.

"The doc says that you and Agent Taylor are here for the long haul."

"Yes, sir, but we're hoping that Mr. Wilson wakes up. That will make our jobs easier."

"Something tells me even when that stubborn mule wakes up, he's not going to be much help."

Elena just smiled, knowing the Sheriff was probably right,

"Are you and Agent Taylor planning on staying here, at the hospital?"

"Um, we haven't discussed it yet. We'll probably just camp out in one of the waiting rooms. I was actually just looking for something to eat. Is there a cafeteria or a vending machine?"

"Oh, no ma'am, no cafeteria, but we can do better than a vending machine. And we can do much better than having our FBI guests sleep on waiting room chairs. My cousin runs one of the best bed and breakfasts in Virginia. People come from all over to stay at the Cherry Hill Inn in Paris Virginia."

"Oh we couldn't," Elena responded, although the thought of actually sleeping in a bed instead of a chair sounded very inviting. "It's important that we stay close to the hospital, in case Wilson wakes up."

"Completely understand and that's why Cherry Hill is the perfect place. It's just a stones throw from here," he said motioned out the front door. "If he wakes up, you can be back here in five minutes. To top it off, my cousin is the best cook this side of the Mason-Dixon line. She starts serving dinner at 5, which is in about ten minutes from now as luck would have it."

Smiling, Elena folded her arms across her chest. "You're making this an offer I can't refuse, Sheriff Waller."

The Sheriff returned her smile. "Well, we're all a part of same law enforcement brotherhood or, uh, sisterhood in your case. There's no reason for you to be uncomfortable while you wait for that yahoo to wake up."

"No, there isn't," Elena agreed, even though she knew that selling Danny on that was going to be difficult.

Getting Danny to come with her to Cherry Hill was almost impossible. At first, he outright refused, telling her that she could stay there and he'd call her if Wilson woke up. But then Sheriff Waller stopped by and invited Danny himself. The Sheriff had such a polite way about him that Elena could tell that Danny had felt guilty when he'd tried to refuse him.

Through the sheer force of the Sheriff's will, Danny had finally agreed to accompany her to the inn. Walking out of the hospital, the Sheriff had told them to take a right, go down one block and then take the left that was a winding, dirt road up to the inn. As they walked the first block, they saw a sign welcoming them to Paris, Virginia. The sign read: Welcome to Paris, Virginia where our motto is, "Virginia is for Lovers" since 1968.

Upon reading the sign, they both stopped in their tracks.

Rolling his eyes, Danny started to turn around. "This is ridiculous. We're here on official FBI business, Elena, not to see the sights of Virginia."

The sign made Elena just as uncomfortable, but her stomach was telling her to get to that inn. "Look, I'll make you a deal. Let's just eat at the inn. If you don't want to stay after we eat, then we can go back to the hospital. No problema!"

Sighing heavily, Danny forged ahead and Elena followed. They found the left turn just beyond the sign and made their way up the winding road that led to a circle drive in front of one of the most beautiful house Elena had ever seen.

"Wow," Elena said as she walked up the driveway. "This is like something out of Gone with the Wind," she said, clearly impressed.

"Never seen it," Danny responded, trying to act unaffected by the charming home.

Rolling her eyes, Elena knocked a few times as she opened the front door. "Hola?"

"Welcome to Cherry Hill!" a woman called out from the top of the staircase. She jogged down the stairs and held out her hand to meet them. "You must be the FBI agents? The Sheriff just called. We will take very good care of you. My name is Brenda and this is my home."

"I'm Elena," she said as she held out her hand, "And this is Danny. We're very thankful for your hospitality."

"Yes, ma'am. You have a lovely home," Danny said as he shook her hand.

Elena gave him a sideways glance, the scowl that was on his face just moments before was replaced by a charming, polite "Danny Taylor" grin.

Brenda took a moment to look at the two agents. "May I say something a little out of line? You're one of the most beautifully exotic women I've even seen. You look like one of those New York models."

"Oh, oh, thank you. That's very sweet," Elena responded in an embarrassed tone.

"And the two of you together, well who knew the FBI had such gorgeous people. You two would make a striking couple," Brenda commented. Seeing the agents' uncomfortable reactions, she backpedaled. "Well, sometimes I get carried away…you know Virginia is—"

"For lovers. Yes, ma'am, we read the sign," Danny said, trying to keep the irritation out his voice since the woman obviously was just trying to be friendly.

"My point is that I'm just so pleased to have two real life FBI agents from New York City, no less. Very exciting. Very exciting, indeed," she said as she lead them into the dining room.

"It's okay. No problem," Elena said as she noticed the scowl return to Danny's face when Brenda had turned away.

"As you can see, we're pretty full tonight, but I saved an out of the way table right here. The Sheriff said you two were probably tired and wouldn't want to be bothered."

"We appreciate that," Elena replied as she sat down while Danny sat down across from her.

"There's no menu, per se, just what I come up with in the kitchen. Tonight it's country-fried steak with mash potatoes, gravy and green beans. How does that sound?"

Danny wanted to say it sounded like his arteries were hardening just at the mention of "fried streak", but instead he answered, "That sounds great, thanks."

"And here's some water and rolls for you to start with," Brenda said as she put some water in their glasses and placed a basket of warm rolls between them. "Try some apple butter with those rolls," she said pointing to the bowl already on the table. "I make it myself."

After Brenda walked away, Elena took a roll from the basket. "I'm kind of falling in love with Brenda. Who knew people could be this nice?" she asked as she slathered the apple butter on the roll and then took a bite. "Oh my God! Danny, this is fantastic! You have to try it!" she said as she held out her roll for him to take a bite.

For a moment, Danny had forgotten that the last week had transpired. Her offering a bite was a very couple-like thing for her to do and the gesture made Danny smile. But just as quickly, he came to his senses. This wasn't a date. They weren't lovers anymore, so he had no intention of pretending to be while they were miles away from home.

"I'll get my own," he said as he took a roll from the basket.

Catching the serious look on his face, Elena looked down as she took another bite of the roll. Part of her wished that they could forget about their breakup, just while they were there. She'd give just about anything to spend one more carefree evening with him, but it was very apparent that Danny wasn't into playing the game.

"It's good, right?" she asked as she watched him eat the roll.

Danny just nodded as he took another bite.

They continued to eat in relative silence. They would graciously smile and thank Brenda when she'd bring them something, but other than that, it was silent. The silence between them became so annoying to Elena that she decided to go ahead and just bite the bullet and ask what she'd been curious about all day.

"Who did you have lunch with today?" she asked suddenly, as she took a bite of the steak and dipped it into her potatoes.

Danny, who had been intently focused on the meal in front of him, looked up at her with a completely surprised expression. "What?"

"When we got back from Currington, I saw you across the street. I was just wondering who she is? I mean, we only just broke up—"

"Oh give me a break," Danny interrupted. "First of all, who I see is none of your business. And second? You broke up with me. _We _didn't break up, so why the hell do you care _who _she is?"

"Were you seeing her while we were together?" Elena asked, and she didn't really want to know the answer, but he was finally talking to her so she just decided to go with it.

This made Danny laugh. He laughed to the point where people around them looked to see what was so funny. Finally, he rubbed his eyes as the laughing subsided. "You're a piece of work, you know that? Were we ever really together, Elena? I mean, you were with me, but you were never really completely there – always having one foot out the door. Let's just paint the whole picture…you liked playing house with me, but didn't want anything permanent. You liked having me around to distract you from the whole Carlos thing, but you had no interest building anything with me. You really want to know who that woman is?"

Hearing his hurtful, yet truthful words made Elena lose her appetite. Putting down her fork, she wiped the corners of her mouth with the napkin. "I'm sorry. You're right. It's none of my business," she said as she started to get up.

Grabbing her hand from across the table, Danny stopped her. "She's an attorney with a law firm that I'm thinking about working for. I'm leaving the FBI as soon as I can find the right opportunity. The sooner, the better," he said as he let go of her hand.

Sitting back in her chair, Elena was slightly stunned by his words. "You're leaving? Because of me? Danny, you shouldn't have to go. It should be me—"

Shaking his head, he leaned forward. "It's not just you. The thing with you just made me realize that I should do this sooner rather than later. It's time for me to move on. There was a time when that place, that team, was like a safety net for me, but I don't need it anymore."

Elena couldn't help but think that it didn't feel safe for him because she was there now.

After finishing their dinner without speaking much more to each other, Brenda escorted them up the stairs

"Now Sheriff Waller didn't give me much noticed. We're almost fully booked, but I do have a two-room suite for you. You'll have to sleep on the couch in the sitting room, I'm afraid," Brenda said as she glanced at Danny.

"That's fine."

Turning into a separate wing off the main hallway, Brenda stopped in front of a door that read "Honeymoon Suite." Below that was yet another whimsically drawn heart with the inscription, "Virginia is For Lovers."

Seeing the label on the door, Elena closed her eyes. If she and Danny weren't so tired and not speaking, then they probably would have laughed about it. Glancing his way, she could see the frown that seemed to be permanently etched into his brow line.

Noticing the discomfort between the two agents, Brenda shrugged, "It's the only room we have left."

Brenda opened the door. Elena didn't think it could get worse, but in fact, the room was the personification of a "honeymoon suite". The room was bathed in all shades of pink with candles everywhere. Walking further into the suite, Elena looked in the bedroom and nearly gasped when she saw a heart-shaped bed.

"This is quite a room," commented Elena as she glanced at Danny again.

"It's our best. There's a balcony off the bedroom with a mountain view. And we just put in a brand new Jacuzzi tub and steam shower in the bathroom – not that you two care about that. But maybe you'll come back someday – you know with your significant others. The couples that stay in this room never want to leave!"

Danny signed and Elena could tell that he was doing all he could not to walk out. "Thank you, Brenda. You've been wonderful. I can understand why people would never want to leave," Elena said gracefully.

"You're very welcome. Now I know you don't have any clothes, so I put some of our complimentary bathrobes on the table, along with some of our t-shirts and sweat pants that are for sale in the gift shop. Just to so you can be comfortable and get some rest."

"Really, you've been more than kind," Danny said as he held out his hand while smiling warmly at her. "We can't thank you enough."

Brenda shook his hand. "You're adorable," she said as she batted her eyelashes at him. "I'm going to make you a special breakfast tomorrow."

As she walked out the door, Danny said, "That's nice, but don't be surprised if we have to leave. If our suspect wakes up, we'll have to go to the hospital."

"Understood. Sleep well," Brenda said as she shut the door.

When Danny turned back toward Elena, she took a deep breath and exhaled. "Don't say it, okay? I didn't know it was going to be like this. But it is what it is, and we have to sleep, right?"

"I can sleep at the hospital. I can sleep anywhere. Why don't you stay here and I'll—"

"No. No, that's ridiculous," Elena interrupted. "We're here. You just called the hospital and they said that Wilson hasn't even moved. We're five minutes away, if he does wake up. Let's just stay here and get through this."

"Fine," Danny said as he walked over to the table to see what clothes Brenda left for them. "You mind if I take a shower first?"

"No. I'm going to call Sophie, so—"

"Great," he responded abruptly as he grabbed a t-shirt and pair of sweatpants and headed to the bathroom.

Elena shook her head as she looked around the room that was filled hearts, doilies, lace, flowers and candles. The room would probably be considered tacky to people who weren't crazy in love which was why it surprised Elena that she didn't find it tacky at all.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N – First, thanks to Elosun for reviewing the past few chapters. I think I may have lost a few people along the way so I'm sorry if this story isn't what you thought it would be. I know I've gone pretty far into the "romance" category. And this chapter is definitely the most romantic/angsty yet. So sorry, but I kind of had to go in this direction to fully explore the D/E relationship. Lastly, the last few paragraph are meant to switch between Danny and Elena's POVs. Just wanted to point that out so it didn't confuse anyone.

* * *

Walking into the bathroom, Danny chuckled. The new Jacuzzi was in the shape of a swan with bright gold fixtures. The inn was like something out of a movie and nothing like Danny had ever seen. Quickly, he undressed and carefully hung up his suit so it wouldn't wrinkle. He'd have to wear it the next day, unless he could get away with wearing the "Great Times At Cherry Hill" t-shirt.

While the tub was a bit much, the steam shower was fantastic. After the long day he'd had, it was amazing to be able to stand under the spray of the dual showerheads and let the steam completely engulf him. As much as he'd complained about staying there, he was glad that he had finally relented. The shower calmed him down and made him forget about the irritation he'd felt during dinner.

After giving himself about fifteen minutes to just relax and destress, he stepped out of the shower, dried off and then changed into the white t-shirt and black sweat pants. Not the most stylish thing he'd ever worn, but they were clean and dry.

Walking out of the bath area, he looked around but didn't see Elena. Taking his suit, he hung it up in the closet where he saw that Elena had also hung up her suit. Walking into the bedroom, he heard Elena's voice on the balcony. Danny gasped at the beauty of what was before him. Nearly 6:30, the sun was setting over the mountains. The sky was a combination of colors he'd never seen before. What made the setting even more beautiful was seeing Elena wrapped in a soft grey robe with her legs tucked under her as she rocked back and forth on a wicker chair.

"Oh, mamita, someday soon I'll bring you here. It's beautiful. The sky is pink. It's actually pink, mamita. And the mountains are like nothing I've ever seen," she relayed to Sophie on the other end of the line.

"I wish you were here, too, but I'll be home tomorrow. I'll pick you up from school. How does that sound?"

"Good girl. Listen to your abuela. Te amo, baby," Elena said as she fought to keep the emotion out of her voice.

Danny watched as she ended the call and then wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You miss her," he said as he walked out onto the balcony.

Looking up at him, she nodded as she wiped the rest of her tears away. "Whenever I see something like this, I always want her to be with me, so she can see it, too. When I was telling her about it on the phone, I told it was like a fairy tale place, completely unreal. It's like you could come here and just escape from everything. I don't take her places like this. When we take vacations, we visit family. I should just take her some place like this, just her and me. Especially now, while she still likes spending time with me."

Danny smiled as he sat down in the chair next to her. "I remember being Sophie's age. We couldn't afford to go anywhere, but we lived close to the beach. So my mom would pack us up and set up a tent right there on the beach. She knew nothing about camping or starting a fire, but she just wanted it to seem like we were going on this adventure together. One morning, she woke us up really early. We looked out into the ocean and there were dolphins jumping through the air as the sun was rising. In the scope of life, I guess it was small thing, and yet thirty years later, that's my most vivid memory of her."

Elena's breath caught as he told her the story. Even in their closest moments while they were dating, he'd rarely been so candid with her. "So you're saying take some time to create some small moments with Sophie."

Danny nodded. "I think you already do that. You already make her world a wonderful place, but you're right, she would really love this."

Elena smiled, glad that he seemed to be in a better mood. Knowing that Sophie was a safe subject for them, she continued, "She deserves something special, that's for sure. I didn't have the heart to tell her that you were here. Then she'd really feel like she was missing something."

"She's a great kid, Elena."

"Thanks," Elena replied quietly. "But I do worry, how all of this will affect her. She acts like she's over it, but how can you just get over your father kidnapping you and then holding you and your mother at gunpoint?"

Shaking his head, Danny responded, "I don't know. Is she still seeing that counselor?"

"Yes, and the counselor says she's doing really well, but the counselor also says that she needs to make peace with Carlos. How does a seven-year-old make peace?"

Danny thought about her question for a few moments. He couldn't help Sophie directly anymore, but he could provide guidance to Elena. "As much as I would hate to think that Sophie would have to face Carlos again, I kind of agree with the counselor."

Elena's eyes widened in surprise, not believing that Danny would advocate making peace with Carlos. "Really?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"We carry all of that with us as adults when we don't get closure as kids. Maybe there's no such thing as closure, but I think if Sophie could understand that Carlos didn't do what he did because of her, that might help…" Danny said as he shrugged. "I don't know…"

Even though he trailed off, Elena didn't say anything. She could tell he was on the verge of telling her more so she just looked at him with a supportive glance.

"You…you want to know why I had the 'attack' earlier, as you called it?"

"Only if you want to tell me," Elena replied quietly, seeing the pain in his eyes.

"I don't really want to tell anyone," he said in a hesitant tone, "but I'll tell you because it might help Sophie."

Elena just nodded as she continued to watch. He was staring straight ahead, not wanting to look at her.

"I've been lucky enough to survive some pretty violent events in my life. Sometimes I actually hate myself for being so damn lucky," he reflected quietly. "First there was my father who would get violent at the drop of a hat, but took it out mostly on Raffi and my mom. Then, there was the car accident that took my parent's lives and I walked away without a scratch. After that, there were several alcohol-fueled fights and violent episodes where I was just trying to get through my adolescence and college years in one piece. And finally, there was the ambush when Martin was shot and I…well, once again, I was just left with a scratch. Lucky me," he deadpanned. "The ambush and what happened to Martin set off this chain reaction of feelings that I couldn't control and didn't want to face. That's what today was about. I saw the mangled car and the blood and I was right there with Martin in that car again and then with my parents when they died."

Resisting every urge she had to get up and put her arms around him, she replied, "God, Danny, I'm so sorry."

"It barely ever happens…the panic attack or whatever it is. Usually, I can get it under control pretty quickly without anyone knowing, but it's there and sometimes it's in my dreams. But I think I know why it's so hard for me to let go of it all."

"Why?"

"For a lot of years, I blocked out all the awful things my Dad did. It was like it all died with him, you know? I never got a chance to find out why he was like that. As angry as I am that he was such a bastard, I'd give anything to talk to him one more time to find out why he hated us so much," Danny said as he tried to contain his emotion. "I wouldn't want Sophie to have those same questions, thirty year from now. Thing is, we both know that Carlos loves Sophie, but he's so caught up in all this anger because he can't have you. That's not Sophie's fault and he needs to tell her that."

Elena took a deep breath as she wiped a few tears from her eyes. "You're right. I'll talk about it more with her counselor. Thank you, Danny."

Danny looked over at her, his eyes locking with hers. "No matter what's happened with us, I'll do whatever you need me to do for Sophie."

"I know," Elena responded, never doubting his commitment to her daughter.

Wiping her eyes one more time, she rose from the rocking chair. The sun had gone down completely and now they we almost in the dark, save for a few candles Elena had lit in the bedroom and on the balcony. As she stood up, so did Danny.

"I'm going to get in the shower now."

"Okay," he replied quietly, standing in front of her.

Knowing it was a bad idea, Elena rose up on her tiptoes and caressed his stubbled cheek with her hand. Then she lightly pressed her lips to his.

On sheer instinct, Danny put his hand against the small of her back to pull her closer, but then just as quickly, he pulled away.

"This can't just be your escape from reality, Elena," he said, referring to what Elena had told Sophie on the phone. "I can't be that for you."

Biting her bottom lip to keep her emotions in check, Elena backed away from him and then turned quickly into the bathroom and shut the door.

After the door closed, Danny collapsed into a chair. Running his hands through his hair, he was literally shaking – his desire for her too much for him to handle. She'd told him that she didn't love him. She'd said that they didn't have a future, yet sometimes when he looked in her eyes, he saw something there. Something real. Shaking his head, Danny tried to figure out what to do. He could just go in the next room, close the door and turn out the light all while pretending to sleep while she's just a few feet away from him. He could leave all together…that would be the safest bet.

Or he could just give in. He could just give in and escape from reality with her…just for the night. As that thought was racing through his brain, he heard the shower turn on in the bathroom. He wasn't strong enough to deal with his. He needed her now because he hadn't been ready to give her up that morning she broke up with him.

Just one more night.

Rising from the chair, Danny walked toward the bathroom door and knocked. Elena opened the door as she kept her robe closed with her other hand.

"What—"

But Danny didn't let her finish, instead he dipped his head down to capture her lips with his as he backed her into the bathroom. In one smooth motion, he pulled the robe from her body as he continued to kiss her, then she quickly helped him discard his t-shirt and sweat pants. After they were both naked, he backed her into the shower and under the hot spray of water.

Feeling completely out of control, it was all Elena could do to just keep breathing as the water and Danny completely washed over her, his hands and lips all over her body. She was confused and exhilarated all at the same time. All of sudden, she gasped as she felt him push her against tile wall – their bodies so close together they might as well be one. She wasn't sure why this was happening…why he'd changed his mind, but in that moment, she didn't care. She just wanted to be as close to him as possible – all the consequences be damned.

* * *

After their intense, almost primal encounter ended, Elena had expected that Danny would just leave her there in the shower. She'd pushed him to this point and he'd gone against his better judgment.

But he didn't leave.

Instead he stayed in the shower with her, helping her wash her back and her hair…followed by another longer, more intimate encounter between them.

Through all this, Danny didn't say a word with the exception of some murmurs here and there. That was the only other thing that was unsettling because usually Danny was a very playful and talkative lover.

But not this time.

They finally got out of the shower and attempted to dry each other off in the steamy bathroom. Danny kissed her neck and shoulders as he moved the towel over her body.

Taking her hand, Danny led her out of the bathroom and to the heart-shaped bed, despite the fact that her hair was still soaking wet. It would have taken too long to dry it and they were both desperate to make love again. Pulling the sheets down, Danny watched as Elena slipped into bed. He followed her, immediate taking her in his arms and kissing her passionately.

Elena was overwhelmed, not able to really understand what was happening between them. It was as though Danny had shut down his brain and was just giving in to the mutual attraction and desire that was between them. She felt guilty for bringing him to this point, but she couldn't help but feel happy to be in his arms again. She'd missed him so much, feeling the weight of him above her, his breath and lips against her skin and the ecstasy of feeling him inside of her. She knew this was much more than that just wanting and needing a lover; she'd found her soul mate who knew how to fulfill her in every way.

Danny tried not to look in her eyes as he moved inside of her. It was easier that way. If he looked in her eyes, then he'd have to stop. And he didn't want to stop. Being with her like this was better than not being with her at all. It didn't matter that she didn't love him. She wanted him and maybe that was enough, he lied to himself.

She moaned and gasped, breathing heavily, as he brought her to yet another orgasm. After he finished, he rolled away from her and collapsed against a pillow, trying to catch his breath as she did the same. He knew he should leave the bed and go into the next room. That would signal to Elena that he was very aware of what this was to her, just sex…just escaping reality for a little while. But he couldn't do it. He couldn't leave her. Reaching over to her, he pulled her closer as she moved to her side so her back was flush against he chest.

"Danny…" she whispered in the darkness, finally breaking the silence between them.

"Shhhh…," he responded in a tone that made it evident that he had no desire to speak about what had just transpired between.

XXXXXX

Please read and review!


	16. Chapter 16

A/N -- Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Elena just lay in his arms as she could feel Danny drifting off the sleep. Her mind was racing and she didn't know what to do. Everything inside of her felt conflicted, so much so that she couldn't help but start crying. First, the tears quietly rolled from her eyes, then the dam broke so that she couldn't control her body as it shook with emotion.

Realizing that she couldn't stop crying, she tried to gently ease herself out of his arms. However, as soon as she started to move, he took hold of her hand.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked, voice sleepy, but concerned.

Shaking her head, she kept her face turned away from him. "Nothing, I—"

Hearing the emotion in her tone, Danny leaned up and gently pulled her back to the pillow so he could see her. Seeing the tears streaming down her face, he frowned as he searched her eyes. "What…what did I do? Did I—"

"No, no, it's not you," she said, reaching up to touch his cheek. "It's not you," she said as she tried to turn away from him.

"Elena, Elena, don't…don't worry, okay?" he said with desperation in his tone. "I know that you don't want anything more than this. I got it. You've made it really clear. I'm not expecting you to fall—"

Turning on her side again so that she wouldn't have to see his face, she cut him off. "I hate how I've made you feel. I hate what I've done to you…and to Sophie. I did it out of fear and I don't want to be afraid anymore. I can't…I can't live like this anymore," she sobbed.

"What fear? What are you afraid of?" he asked as he rubbed arm gently.

Sniffing, Elena wiped her eyes. "Carlos…Carlos threatened you and your family."

Pulling her back so that he could see her face. "He threatened my family? What do you mean threatened them?" he asked, voice still concerned but also laced with anger.

"He saw us together, when you spent the night at my apartment. It sent him over the edge. I tried to go through the family court to get them to make it so he couldn't watch my apartment, but I just ended up making things worse. When I saw him there, he told me that he hoped your brother would make it to his parole and that you would be devastated if something happened to him."

"Christ," Danny muttered as he rolled onto his back, suddenly overcome with worry for his brother who would be defenseless in prison.

"Don't…don't worry," she said as she propped herself up on the pillow to face him. "Martin helped me check on Rafael. He talked to the warden and warned him that Rafael could be in trouble"

"You told Martin?" Danny asked in a surprised tone.

"I…I didn't want to tell him. He caught me looking at Rafael's file. He was going to tell you about it, and then I explained what was going on. He pleaded with me to tell you, but--"

"But instead, you ended things with me," he finished, remembering the conversation in the stairwell when she said she didn't love him.

"I thought it was the only way. I still think it might be the only way as long as Carlos is out there."

Danny took a deep breath as he tried to process what she was telling him. He'd been through the wringer the last few days all because she'd been trying to protect his family. "There has to be something we can do to keep everyone safe. Maybe…maybe I should talk to Carlos."

Rolling her eyes, Elena ran a hand through her still damp hair. "You didn't see him that day. In his mind, the reason why Sophie and I aren't with him anymore is because of you. If I can't be with him, then he doesn't want me with anyone. He doesn't see you as an old friend. He just sees you as a threat."

Turning towards her, he put his hand on her cheek and then let his fingers tuck her hair behind her ear. "Let's take Carlos out of the equation—"

"We can't—"

Nodding his head, he shrugged. "I know…I know we really can't, but let's just say we're still in the fairytale land that you described to Sophie," he said with a smile. "And we didn't have to worry about crazy ex-boyfriends."

This made Elena smile as well as she took hold of his hand and intertwined their fingers. "Okay…"

"Where would we be right now? I mean, I mean…how would—"

Leaning towards him, she interrupted him with a kiss. As she pressed herself against him, he rolled on his back and pulled her on top of him as the kissed deepened between them.

Finding what little willpower he had left, he put his hand against her cheek and then slowly parted his lips from hers. Caressing her face, he just kept searching her eyes – terrified of her answer.

Giving him a small smile, Elena relaxed against his chest, tucking her head between his neck and shoulder. "That morning, in the stairwell, that was the hardest thing I've had to do in a really long time, but I thought I was doing what was for the best for everyone."

Stroking her hair, Danny responded, "I understand that, but—"

"It was especially hard because I never expected to hear you tell me that you loved me. I just didn't realize we had gotten to that point, but honestly, my focus had been on Sophie so I probably just wasn't paying attention. I—"

"Look, I never expected you to feel the same way. I know that you have higher priorities than some fledgling on-again, off-again relationship. But I just needed you to know—"

"Danny, Danny," she said as she leaned up so she could look in his eyes. "I'm glad you told me. I mean, _now_ I'm glad you told me. For the last few days, it's given me a lot to think about. I put walls up with you because of what I knew about you in the past, because we work together, and because of Carlos. Knowing how you feel about me, and knowing how very much you care about Sophie has made it impossible for me not to…not to…well, not to fall completely in love with you. The last few days have been torture knowing that I'd hurt you so much. When you told me you loved me and you wanted us to grow into a family, I was overwhelmed. But now I know it's what I want more than anything."

* * *

Inhaling deeply, Danny smiled even before opening his eyes. She was still nestled safely in his arms, her back against his chest…his long limbs practically enveloping her. They'd spent the better part of the night talking. When they weren't talking, they didn't waste time sleeping. Instead, Danny took the time to practically memorize every inch of her body. After talking about their situation, they both became painfully aware that this would be the last night they could spend together for a while. They'd both agreed that they had to find a way to deal with Carlos before going further and before getting Sophie's hopes up again.

After coming to that decision, they decided to ignore the problem for one more night and just enjoy their final hours at Cherry Hill.

While Danny knew he should feel exhausted, he couldn't help but feel like a weight had been lifted as he enjoyed holding Elena a few minutes longer. Glancing at the clock on the nightstand, Danny sighed. As much as he wanted to wake her up, he knew that they still had work to do. It was almost 6:30 a.m. It had been twelve hours since their suspect had been stabilized. Since the hospital would have called had he woken up, it was safe to assume that the doctor would be getting their suspect ready for transport.

Slowly and with great hesitation, Danny moved away from Elena and slipped out of bed. After getting his cell phone from the nightstand, he then grabbed his clothes from the closet and went into the bathroom.

* * *

The almost intoxicating aroma gently assaulted her senses. Slowly opening her eyes, she saw the steaming cup of the coffee on the nightstand. Then she felt his lips on her neck as his hand snaked around her waist.

"Morning, baby," Danny whispered.

Turning on her back to face him, Elena frowned when she saw that he was already dressed in his undershirt and pants. "You're already dressed?" she asked as she tried to sit up. "You should have woken me up, mi amor. The case—"

Taking a hold of her arms, Danny gently pushed her back on the pillow and pinned her arms to either side of her head.

Making a few half-hearted attempts to move him, Elena rolled her eyes. "Danny…we have work!"

Smiling, Danny laid a few kisses on her neck and shoulder. "I'm on it. The hospital is getting the suspect ready for the Medivac. He's still a vegetable, by the way," he said before kissing her on the lips.

Enjoying the feeling of him being above her, Elena indulged in the kiss for a moment before pulling away and pretending to struggle against his grasp. "What about the missing person? What about checking in with Jack and going back to work?"

"I told you, I'm on it. I already checked in and Jack says they have a lead on finding our guy. It seems Wilson rented a storage unit somewhere in Queens. Martin and Viv are checking it out this morning. As for going back, we'll hitch a ride on the Medivac to make sure Wilson gets back without any problem. Then we'll head back to the office to see what else we can do because we aren't getting anything out of Wilson while he's in brain surgery."

Nodding, Elena smiled. "You've thought of everything."

"You have no idea. I even had Brenda bring up breakfast," he said, nodding to the sitting room. "She was right, by the way—"

Frowning, Elena asked, "Right about what?"

"Couples that use this room never want to leave it," he said as he nuzzled her neck and finally let go of her wrists.

"Mmmmm," Elena moaned, wrapping her arms around him as she felt his breath on her neck and his clothed body against her bare skin. "What if we never left?"

Looking up at her, Danny gave her a confused glance. "What do you mean? Never leave?"

"That's not exactly what I mean. I mean, what if we could just go home, pack Sophie up and then come back here…or a place like this? Somewhere where Carlos could never find us."

Raising his eyebrows, he considered her words. "Speaking from experience, there is merit to running away and starting over. But trust me, it never solves all your problems; and for better or worse, you usually can't stay lost forever."

"I know. And it would be so hard to leave our families and put Sophie through that, but I'd do it if it meant the three of us could be together."

Danny smiled still not completely believing how much had changed in the last twelve hours. "We're going to work it all out. Trust me," he said as he planted a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

"I do," she said as she giggled in happiness. "As much as I want to stay like this, I should really get dressed."

Groaning, Danny rolled away from her. "You're right, but for the record, there's nothing hotter than seeing you like this in a heart-shaped bed."

Elena laughed as she sat up and put a robe around her naked body. "I thought these beds were only in the movies."

"I'm thinking about finding one for my place," Danny said as he got up and grabbed his dress shirt from the chair. "We could just imagine we're at Cherry Hill every time we—"

Still laughing, Elena walked toward the bathroom with her coffee in hand. "Oh no, it's not Cherry Hill unless we have Brenda and apple butter and fried steak and gorgeous mountain views. We'll just have to come back."

"Yeah, we will," Danny said as his smile faded, realizing that would be easier said than done.

Elena's smiled turned sad as she turned into the bathroom and shut the door.

* * *

"I think Brenda figured us out," Danny said in Elena's ear as they sat in the Medivac chopper waiting to take off.

Elena nodded, "She told me I was a lucky girl when I hugged her goodbye."

"What do you think gave us away?"

Smiling, Elena shrugged. "Hopefully, it wasn't from guest complaints about noise coming from the honeymoon suite last night."

Danny laughed as they watched the chopper pilot give the okay sign. The doctor and nurse, who were tending to Wilson, had their backs to them, so they see didn't Danny grasp Elena's hand as the helicopter started to rise. And they didn't see the gaze that passed between the two as they flew past the "Virginia is for Lovers" sign.

* * *

Less than an hour later, they landed on a helipad at St. Andrew's hospital. Danny and Elena hopped off the helicopter after the others had gotten off. After entering the hospital and making sure that Wilson went straight to surgery, Danny coordinated with an NYPD officer to make sure Wilson was guarded at all times. After finishing that, he met Elena in a deserted waiting room by the emergency room.

"Martin's here at the hospital…somewhere," Elena said as Danny approached. "We can get a ride back with him."

"Why is he here?" Danny asked curiously.

"They just transported our missing person here. He was found in critical condition in that storage unit. Martin's talking to the family right now."

"Well that is good news," Danny responded. "So all that's left is the paper work?"

Elena nodded, "So it seems."

He took a moment to just stare at her.

"What are you looking at?" she asked as she ran her hand over her hair. She'd a hard time taming it that morning because she hadn't dried it before falling into bed with Danny. She could only knot it in a pony tail, but that didn't control the waviness that made it look like bed head.

Shaking his head, he smiled as he leaned into her. "I'm thinking I'm not ready to let you go just yet," he said as he kissed her gently.

Feeling his tongue tease at her lips, she opened her mouth so he could deepen the kiss – his day old stubble feeling good against her cheek. After enjoying the kiss for a few moments, she pulled away as her eyes shifted around the room.

Keeping his forehead pressed against hers, he held her close for a few more moments. "We're going to work everything out. We will," he whispered.

Elena nodded as she felt tears come to her eyes. Knowing she needed to step away before breaking down completely, she put her hands against his chest to put some distance between them. Just as Danny started to back away, they heard a voice call out to them.

"Hey, guys…"

When she heard Martin's voice, she quickly removed her hands from Danny's chest. They both turned towards the door to see Martin entering.

"Hey, man," Danny greeted, sounding normal. "How's Mr. Wentworth?"

"He's stable," Martin said as he looked from Danny to Elena. "Everything go okay on your end?" he asked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Elena still wasn't sure she'd be able to speak coherently, so she was glad when Danny continued, "Smooth. Wilson's in surgery, although at this point I'm not so sure he'd want to wake up considering he'll spend the rest of his life in prison."

"Well, Jack said that only one of you needed to come back the office. He just wants to file the complete report before the weekend."

"I'll take care of it," Danny said before giving Elena a chance to respond. "You can go home and pick Sophie up from school just like you told her."

Finally able to contain her emotion, Elena said, "I have plenty of time. I can do the report. It's not—"

"Elena, I got it. You can go home."

"Are you sure?" she asked in a concerned tone. "You were up so early this morning…making Wilson's arrangements—"

"I'm sure. Go home," he said with a gentle smile.

Elena returned the smile. "Thanks," she said quietly.

"Good…that's decided," Martin said in a tone that reminded them both that he was still in the room with them. "We can drop you off—"

"Oh no. I'm in the opposite direction," Elena said as they started to walk out of the waiting room and towards the exit where Martin was parked. "I'll take a cab."

"You sure?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, no problem."

They walked out of the Emergency Room entrance and found Martin's car. Danny whistled and motioned for a cab to come over and then opened the back door for her.

Elena smiled uncomfortably, knowing that Martin was too smart not to read into Danny's attentiveness. "Call me if you need any help with the report. You can always e-mail me at home."

"Okay," Danny said as he traced his fingers over hers as they rested on top of the cab door.

"Bye," she said quietly and then in a louder tone said, "See you Monday, Martin.'

"Have a good weekend," Martin said as he got into the driver's side of the car and then watched as Danny watched the cab pull away.

Moments later, Danny climbed into the passenger side. He took a deep breath and let it out as he put on his sunglasses and then let his head fall back against the headrest.

"So…what's Paris, Virginia like?" Martin asked with a slight smirk as he pulled out into traffic.

* * *

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	17. Chapter 17

Trying to suppress his grin, Danny glanced over at Martin while still leaning his head back against the headrest.

"Nothing like small-town life," Danny responded, ever the evasive one.

Shaking his head, Martin smiled. "Well, it looks like you two have gotten past any tension – at least judging by what I just witnessed."

Biting his lip for moment, Danny then sighed as he decided to come clean with Martin. After all, Elena had already involved him, and Danny needed to talk to him about that. "When we got stuck down there, I thought it was going to be torture. She and I haven't been on the best of terms the last couple of days, but ultimately, it gave us a chance to really talk and, you know, get everything out in the open," Danny said, glancing knowingly at Martin. "In fact, I understand that I owe you a thank you."

Martin took a short breath, not expecting to hear that. He wasn't sure how Danny would take him handling the Rafael situation behind his back. "I'm sorry. I…I wanted to tell, but it wasn't my place. The only thing I could do was make a few phone calls to make sure that he was safe. And he is. He's fine. I checked with my contact at the prison yesterday. There have been no issues and he's still on track for parole in the late fall."

"Don't apologize. I'm glad you could help Elena. I just wish she had told me a few days ago, so I could have handled it myself, but she was scared. And I understand that. She was doing what she thought was best."

"So does this mean that you two are back together?" Martin asked.

Danny shrugged. "We're friends and I understand where she's coming from now," he replied quietly, not wanting to tell Martin too much at this point. The less that people knew, the safer everyone would be.

"But it sounds like you had a pretty good time down there?"

"Martin, we were working!" Danny said as he pushed his sunglasses up on his head. "We were on a case. It wasn't a romantic getaway."

"Right," Martin replied as he chuckled. "Have you ever heard Virginia's motto?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny laughed. "Don't say it, man! Give me a break, all right!"

* * *

Walking out of the bullpen, Danny approached Jack's office. The last time he'd been in there, he had stormed out. This time, he was hoping to get in and out without any problems.

"Jack," Danny said, poking his head in the door. "I just e-mailed our Virginia report and I have some expense stuff for you to sign," he said as he raised a file folder.

"Come in," Jack said and then motioned to the seat in front of him. "Sit down."

Danny laid the file folder on Jack's desk and then sat down. "Wilson's still in surgery. The doctor in Virginia said that he'd be surprised if he ever regained consciousness."

Jack nodded as he looked over the expense report. "Crime never pays. Mr. Wilson probably now regrets losing his head over Kyle Wentworth's wife."

"Well it definitely looks like he lost his head all right," Danny joked and then shook his head as he smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, bad joke."

Jack laughed in spite of it as he continued to initial through the expenses, until his eyes rested on one specific entry. Without even looking up, he asked gruffly, "So, Cherry Hill, huh?"

"Yeah," Danny replied as he tried his best to shrug nonchalantly. "It was the closest thing to the hospital and the Sheriff insisted that we stay there. The innkeeper wanted to comp the whole thing for us, but I told her the federal government wouldn't be okay with that."

"So that's why she only charged you for one room?" Jack asked in a sarcastic tone, looking up through the top of his glasses.

Danny's stomach almost flipped at the question. "Um, well, it was a two-room suite actually. It was all she had left. But she gave us a discount," Danny said as he motioned to the report.

"I see that," Jack said. "I'm sorry if you guys weren't getting along. I mean, um, Viv told me that you and Elena—"

Danny cut him off. "While she and I are working together, we'll be professional no matter what has happened. That's how it's always been with us and it won't change now."

Jack nodded as he signed the last page. "Fair enough," he said as he handed the forms back to Danny. "Forward those to Accounting, will you?"

"Yeah," Danny said as he started to rise from his seat.

"One more thing," Jack said as he took off his glasses.

Taking a breath, Danny stopped in his tracks – worried that Jack would grill him some more about the night in Virginia.

"I owe you an apology—"

Silently breathing a sigh of relief, Danny cut him off, "No. You really don't—"

"Danny, just…let me get through this, okay?"

Nodding uncomfortably, he sat back down.

"I was unprofessional the other day when I confronted you about the job hunting. You have every right to look for other opportunities and I do remember our conversation when you told me about pursuing a law career. The circumstances, with what had happened with Carlos and us going at it, made me misinterpret the situation. But after really thinking about it and not acting on impulse, I realized that you would never just leave. As much as you may think this is the right decision, I'm sure it's difficult for you to actually go through with it."

Danny's eyes widened in surprised. He'd expected a half-hearted, obligatory apology from Jack, not something this sincere. "You're right. It will be extremely hard for me to go through with this. I can't imagine not working here…with you and everyone else."

Jack nodded. "Well, you don't have to go. If it's about Elena, then I can shift some things around--"

'It's not, I mean, it was, but it's not now. Jack, I haven't exactly figured out what I'm going to do, but I promise you'll be the first to know."

"Okay," Jack responded as he gave Danny a slight nod to let him know they were done.

Danny just smiled slightly as he got up and turned to go out the door.

* * *

"So I bet Sophie was thrilled to see you," Danny as he lay in his bed. It was still early, only 9 p.m., but he was already in bed – the activity of the past few days catching up to him. Before completely settling in for the night, he called Elena.

"She was happy because I picked her up early from school," Elena replied while curled up on a chair looking out her bedroom window. "We went to the park and I let her play and eat ice cream. Then on the way home, we did a little shoe shopping."

Danny smiled. "Really? For her or _for you_?"

"More for me, but Sophie loves to look at all the big girl shoes, so it was fun for both of us."

"Sounds like you had a great time."

"It would have been even better if you had been there," she responded, surprised by the longing in her tone.

Wanting to make her smile, Danny teased, "Well as much I love shopping for big girl shoes—"

Elena laughed. "Not that part, just going to the park, hanging out."

"I know."

"Oh God, Danny, we really miss you," she said, emotion creeping into her voice.

"I miss you, too, baby."

"I was thinking about what you said last night, on the balcony, about doing what the counselor said and letting Sophie hear the truth from Carlos—"

"I said that before I knew that he'd made threats, Elena. He's sounding more and more irrational by the second."

"Yeah, but maybe if he can make things right with Sophie, then he'll lay off this control thing he has with me. I mean, it's worth a shot. Yes?"

Danny shrugged as he sighed. "I don't know. Maybe the better option would be to talk to the D.A. about bringing charges against him, if not for kidnapping then for the illegal activities while he was in Vice."

"Don't you think they would have done that already, if they could?" she asked, sounding frustrated.

"I guess. I just seems like they let him off the hook for an awful lot."

"Tell me about it," she replied sadly. "Let's not talk about him anymore. It gives me a headache."

"What do you want to talk about?"

"I don't know, just something happier and less futile."

"Hmmmm…okay," he replied, thinking for a moment before grinning. "I have a question for you."

"Shoot," Elena responded, smiling at the mischievous tone of his voice.

"What are you wearing?" he asked in a low, seductive tone.

Elena giggled. "You're crazy."

"You wanted to talk about something happier. Hearing about what you're wearing or, even better, not wearing would make me much happier."

Elena closed her eyes, her cheeks feeling warm as she imagined him in his bed. From spending time with him there, she had a very clear picture of him wearing only his boxer briefs, if anything at all, with his white bed sheet lazily draped low around his hips – leaving his bare torso and chest exposed. Tingling at the thought, she finally found the desire to play his game. "I'm wearing a light pink—"

"Mommy!" Sophie called out as she knocked on Elena's door.

Elena covered her mouth as she started to laugh.

"Uh-oh…it's like she has radar," Danny teased.

"Hang on a second," Elena said into the phone, still laughing, before turning to Sophie. "What is it baby?"

"Why are you laughing? Who are you talking to?" Sophie asked, her eyes wide and innocent.

Elena knew she couldn't tell her the truth. "Just my friend, Karen, mamita. We're just talking. What do you need?"

"Can I get a drink of water?" Sophie asked.

"Sure. Go get it and I'll be there in a minute to tuck you back in," Elena said as she put the phone back to her ear and waited for Sophie to walk down the hall. "I think that's a sign that I shouldn't even try to play that game."

"Well you definitely shouldn't play it with Karen!" Danny said, still teasing.

"I had to think fast."

"Hey I'm just glad you didn't say another guy's name," he joked.

Elena smiled. "Go to bed, mi amor. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"I can't wait. Sleep well, baby," he replied in a quiet tone.

"Bye."

Danny laid his phone on the nightstand and then reached over to shut off the lamp. Turning on his side, he laid his palm on the other side of the bed. Just twenty-four hours ago, Elena lay in his arms – her back against his bare chest. Closing his eyes to remember, he could still smell the scent of her neck and her hair.

Flipping back on to his back, he opened eyes and stared at the ceiling in frustration. It wasn't fair. He'd wait too long to find this kind of happiness. He'd done everything he could to improve his life so that he could be in place where he almost felt like he deserved someone like Elena. It wasn't fair that he had to be satisfied with late night phone calls and stolen moments together…all because of Carlos.

He had to do something, because he wasn't sure how much longer he could go on like this.

* * *

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	18. Chapter 18

A/N – Sorry for the delay in updating, but many thanks for the reviews. This was a hard chapter to write because I'm headed toward a shift in the story. This chapter is necessary to introduce the shift, but there's not much going on in it. Hopefully, it's not too boring and you can look forward to some action-packed, angsty stuff in the next few chapters.

* * *

He was late, again, and Elena knew this was another very big sign that he would never change. Carlos would never take responsibility and do the right thing. He'd never realize how much he was hurting her and, most importantly, Sophie by continuing to play these games. 

Sophie. She was the only reason that Elena was doing this. It was Sophie, and, strangely enough, Danny's advice that brought her to this place where she was once again waiting for Carlos to show up.

"I can't move my next appointment," Sophie's counselor, Andrea Sayers, said as she looked from Elena to the family court mediator that was always present when Elena had to meet with Carlos.

The mediator nodded. "I have an appointment as well, but we'll give it five more minutes to see if Mr. Aguilar shows up."

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elena shook her head. "You know what? Maybe we should just forget the whole thing. If he doesn't care enough about Sophie to get here on time, then—"

"Oh here we go again," Carlos said as he strolled into the conference room. "I don't care about Sophie. I'm a bad dad. Once again, you're poisoning their minds with lies," he said as he nodded to the counselor and the mediator.

"I don't have to poison anything. You're the one who's late to a meeting about the daughter who you claim to care about."

"I do care about her! I love her and I'd do anything for her—"

"Except show up on time." Elena finished in a sarcastic tone.

Carlos took a seat across from her as he chuckled to himself. "Traffic. Bad traffic. I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," he said in a mockingly as he stared at Elena.

Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a breath to compose herself. "Can we just get this started?"

"Absolutely," the mediator said. "We're here, as Ms. Delgado pointed out, to discuss how Sophie's therapy is going. Also, since Mr. Aguilar has petitioned the court for supervised visits, we need to evaluate if that is in the best interest of Sophie considering the…the altercation from a few months ago."

Elena wanted to laugh at the term "altercation". "By altercation, you're referring to Carlos kidnapping Sophie and holding her and me at gunpoint?"

Carlos sighed heavily and started to speak, but the mediator cut him off.

"Ms. Delgado, Mr. Aguilar has not been tried or convicted. While we know an altercation occurred, he is innocent until proven guilty."

"Fine. Whatever. Let's just get to the point. Andrea?" Elena said as she looked at Sophie's counselor.

"Right. Yes. As you may know, I've been working with Sophie for the last few months…since…since the altercation. She's made great progress, but the fact remains, Mr. Aguilar's actions have caused her severe trauma. She feels responsible—"

"It wasn't her fault," Carlos interjected. "If her mother had just—"

"Had just what?" Elena interrupted. "Bent to your will? You were only going to be happy if I took you back. When you realized that was never going to happen – YOU TOOK HER! That's why we're here today," Elena practically yelled as she tried to contain her tears. "That's why Sophie has nightmares. And that's why she is terrified of you."

Carlos shook his head. "No…nah…All I need to do is spend some time with her and deprogram what you've drilled into her. What happened a few months ago got out of hand, but everything I did was because I love that little girl."

"Mr. Aguilar," the counselor cut in, trying to get them back on track. "We'd like to give you the opportunity to talk to Sophie, but we can only do that if you agree to a certain mode of communication. We want Sophie to feel safe. We want to try to alleviate the fear she has of you. And we need her to understand that it's not her that you're angry with."

"Sophie knows that," Carlos responded.

Rolling her eyes, Elena shook her head. She started to speak, but the counselor put her hand on Elena's arm.

"Mr. Aguilar, she really doesn't. I've spoken to Sophie at length about this. She doesn't understand that your actions were a result of your anger at Ms. Delgado. Sophie feels responsible. And she also feels guilty."

As the counselor said this, Elena turned to her. "Guilty? What does Sophie guilty about?"

"Yeah, why does Sophie feel guilty?" Carlos also asked.

Feeling the heat of both the parents' stares, the counselor took a breath before replying, "Sophie, um, Sophie feels guilty for liking, um, Ms. Delgado's…friend…Danny, is it? She knows that Mr. Aguilar is not happy that you're seeing someone and she also feels like she's made her father angry because she likes Danny so much. She feels like that caused the…the…altercation a few months ago."

Tightening her lips into a thin line, Elena ran a hand through her hair. "That's not an issue anymore. I've already discussed it with Sophie. Danny isn't a part of my personal life. He and I still work together, but that's all," she said as she glared at Carlos.

Carlos didn't even try to hide the smile that formed on his lips. "Well, that's progress," he muttered.

Continuing to glare at him, Elena continued, "No, what would be progress is if you'd do right by Sophie. Listen to Andrea and tell Sophie exactly what she tells you to tell her so we can help her get over this fear and guilt."

"And if I do that, what's in it for me? Will I get my visitation reinstated?" Carlos asked, sounding entitled.

The mediator sighed. "Mr. Aguilar, I'm afraid you'll never have the same visitation rights as before, at least not while there is a restraining order against you. But if you're able to follow Ms. Sayer's advice and alleviate Sophie's stress, then the court would consider supervised visits if Ms. Delgado was amenable to that."

Carlos glanced at Elena to gauge her response.

But Elena didn't say a word. She wanted Carlos to provide help to Sophie, but she'd never agree to reinstate his visitation if he continued to hold her hostage by threatening the person she cared about.

* * *

After the meeting, Elena went in to work a couple of hours late. Entering the bullpen, she greeted Sam and Vivian while taking note that Danny wasn't at his desk. 

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she put her gun and purse in her bottom drawer.

"No worries," responded Viv. "We don't have anything hot this morning."

"Where are the guys?" Elena asked curiously.

"They're following up on an old case. NYPD got a tip about a sighting of that Foster girl from last year."

"Oh," Elena said as she took a seat at her desk and turned on her computer. That's when she noticed the note tucked inconspicuously behind her keyboard. Opening the note, she smiled when she saw Danny's handwriting.

_"Thinking about you this morning. Hope you're okay. Meet me at MacGregor's at noon – if Martin and I get back in time. D."_

MacGregor's was a bar that neither she nor Danny would normally be caught dead in, but that was the point. The Irish pub was out of the way and accessible from the parking structure underneath the Federal building. It would be almost impossible for Carlos to track them down there.

Unfortunately, this is what their relationship had been reduced to. They hadn't really been alone together since they got back from Virginia, over two weeks ago. Occasionally, they would try to steal moments in the office, but mostly, all they had were their late night phone conversations where they ended up talking about things Elena never imagined she'd ever talk to Danny Taylor about.

"_Okay, so what about you?" Elena asked in daring tone. _

"_What about me?" Danny asked._

"_Who was your first kiss?" she asked in a teasing tone. They'd start talking about these details mostly because neither wanted to get off the phone and they could only talk about Sophie and work so much. _

_Danny sighed heavily. "First kiss? Um, probably Tina Stomatina in first grade. She rocked my world underneath the jungle gym."_

_This response elicited a laugh from Elena that she had to stifle by bringing her bed sheet to her mouth so she wouldn't wake Sophie. _

"_No, no, no….I'm talking about the real first kiss," she clarified as she continued to laugh._

"_Hey, don't underestimate Tina Stomatina."_

_Rolling her eyes, Elena tucked her hair behind her ear. "I told you mine."_

"_Yes, yes, you did," Danny replied with a chuckle. "And somewhere Ryan Meyers is kicking himself for not treating you better. By the way, does your mom know that your first kiss was with a gringo?"_

_Elena laughed again. "She has no idea. She would have locked me in my room if she'd known that I played spin the bottle. And she would have been so disappointed that I pined over Mr. All-American. But hey, we'd only been in New York a few months. I was a sixteen year old boricua trying to fit in even though I barely spoke English! But don't change the subject….first real kiss, please!"_

"_Okay, okay, but it's kind of a depressing story," he said apprehensively._

"_Well, I don't want to make you depressed," she replied, hearing regret in his tone. "You don't have to tell me."_

"_No, it's okay. I just haven't thought about it in a long time," he reflected in a quiet tone. "I was eleven. My parents had just died and Rafi and I were trying to lay low so that Social Services wouldn't place me in a group home. We lived in this dump of an apartment. He and his girlfriend, who couldn't have been more than 15, would deal to support their respective habits. Her name was Angel. And I thought she was the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen."_

'_You had a crush on her?" Elena asked. _

"_It was more than that, I thought. Every time, Rafi would treat her bad, I'd try to work up the nerve to confront him. I wanted to save her and I thought she and I could run away together."_

"_So she was your first kiss?" Elena asked._

"_She was my first everything," Danny replied, regret evident in his tone. "After my parents' funeral, Rafi disappeared on me. So Angel took me to her house and hid me in her closet. That first night, she held me in her arms and I cried like a baby because I missed my mom so much. And then she kissed me…a real kiss. When I got older, I realized she was just mad at Rafi for bailing on us that day." _

"_She was using you to make Rafi jealous?" Elena asked, her heart breaking at hearing how alone Danny had been at that time in his life._

"_That became obvious about six months later when she and Rafi had gotten into a fight and he dumped her. That night, she came back to our apartment while Rafi was out. She got into bed with me. At first, we were just kissing…that was normal for Angel to get close to me when she and Rafi were on the outs. But then one thing led to another and before I knew what was happening…" Danny trailed off, not quite believing how much he was divulging to Elena._

"_You were only eleven? You were still a baby."_

"_I'd just turned twelve. And believe me, those six months after they'd died, I had grown up a lot. I wasn't a good kid, Elena."_

"_Still, it was wrong of her to take advantage of you like that. I'm so sorry, Danny. I didn't mean bring up such bad memories," Elena replied, feeling guilty, but also relieved that Danny felt comfortable confiding in her. Learning about his childhood explained so much about the things he'd done in his past and the things he continued to struggle with. _

_Danny shrugged. "It wasn't that it was bad. I just thought she cared about me. But really, she just wanted to get back at Rafi."_

_Elena shook her head, feeling bad that she'd brought this up at all. A few minutes earlier, she'd lamented about her first time with a boy she'd dated when she was eighteen. She'd been so excited to be with him, only to wonder what the big deal was after it had only lasted about five minutes. _

"_Oh, Danny, its awful what happened to you. What did Rafi do when he found out?"_

"_He was so high most of the time; I'm not sure he ever cared one way or the other. The trouble came when Angel took me to her house one night. We were in her bedroom…in the middle of…you know…and then her father walks in. It was dark, so I don't think he even noticed that I was just a kid. He just beat the crap out of me and threw me out. That was bad enough, but then I went to school a couple of days later and a teacher saw the bruises. Once they saw that, they took me away from Rafi and put me in a group home…which started me in the wonderful world of foster care."_

Elena shook her head at the disturbing memory of their conversation. If she'd been with him instead of just on the phone, she would have put her arms around him. He deserved so much more than what she was giving him right now. He deserved to have a girlfriend who could be there for him all the time.

* * *

Shortly before noon, Elena noticed that Martin had returned. As casually as she could, she walked over to him. 

"Did the lead pan out?" she asked.

Shaking his head, Martin sat down at his desk. "Nah, it was a dead end."

"Oh, well, did Danny come back with you or—"

"He said he had an appointment at lunch, so he took off after we parked the car. He'll be back in an hour or so."

Elena just nodded as she smiled and returned to her desk. Trying not to be too overt, she grabbed her purse from the bottom drawer and then logged off her computer. As she passed Martin's desk, he looked up at her.

"I, uh, I have an errand to run, but I'll be back soon," Elena said as she smiled at him again.

Narrowing his eyebrows, Martin gave her a small smile. "Okay," he replied quietly.

* * *

Elena practically jogged through the parking structure to the entrance of the other building, knowing that he was waiting for her. She took the elevator to the Lobby level and then walked through the lobby to the small pub. She nodded to the bartender as she made her way to the back of the room. She and Danny had been there once, before she had broken up with him. And she found him at the same table as before – a booth in the back that was well hidden from the rest of the bar. 

Her eyes meeting his, she smiled as he stood up.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," she replied as she threw her arms around his shoulders.

Encircling her waist, he held her close as he breathed in the scent of her hair and her skin. ""Hey…hey…you okay?" he asked as he rubbed small circles on the small of her back.

She nodded as her head rested against his shoulder. "I just miss you. And I've wanted to give you a hug ever since our phone conversation the other night."

"Oh, well, thanks," he replied, slighty embarrassed at all he'd told her that night. "I miss you, too," he said as he gently pulled away from her to look in her eyes. "How'd it go this morning?"

Elena shook her head as she rolled her eyes.

Smiling sympathetically, Danny motioned for her to slide in the booth and then he slid in after her so they were sitting side by side.

"You already ordered for us?" Elena asked as she noticed the two iced teas and a sandwich basket for them to split.

"Yeah, and I gave the waitress a twenty to make sure we weren't interrupted for the next hour," he said as he leaned in to kiss her.

Elena turned her body to face him as his lips devoured hers. They hadn't kissed like this since Virginia. She let her fingers tangle in the back of his short hair as he deepened the kiss. She felt his hand on her knee first and then slowly drift up her thigh. Suddenly, she was very thankful she'd worn a skirt that morning.

After they continued kissing for a few more minutes, Elena had to break away for a moment to catch her breath. She took a few small breaths before saying, "We have to find a way to be alone together. This is crazy," she said.

Shrugging, Danny kissed her lightly a few more times. "I'll take what I can get for now. You look beautiful today, by the way."

Elena smiled. "Thanks, querida. And thanks for the note and setting this up. I needed it."

They moved away from each other a little, but still stay as closed as possible – their hands intertwined as Danny's arm was wrapped around her protectively. Laying her head against his chest, Elena just tried to imagine they were somewhere different.

"So tell me about this morning," Danny said as he played with her hair.

"Mmmmm, it was frustrating, but Carlos agreed to work with Sophie's counselor. After she talks to him for a few sessions, she'll evaluate if him meeting with Sophie is a good idea or not."

"What do you think? Do you think he'll do what's best for Sophie?"

Elena shrugged. "I have no idea, but I have to try to see if this can work."

"Did you and he talk about anything else?"

"The counselor mentioned that Sophie was feeling guilty about liking you so much…thinking that was the reason that Carlos took her. So I lied and said that we weren't an issue anymore. That made Carlos very happy to say the least."

"Well if that makes him do right by Sophie, then we just need to keep this up for the time being. Maybe after he clears things up with her, then we can figure out what our next step will be."

Elena sighed heavily. "I know you're right, but we have to find a way to spend some time together, mi amor."

"What do you want to do? Meet in a hotel room at lunch?" he asked in a frustrated tone. "This already feels too much like an affair…meeting at a seedy bar."

"Maybe we'll get lucky and get to go out of town on a case again."

"Something tells me we won't have anything like Cherry Hill again."

"No, we won't," Elena responded sadly before deciding to change the subject. "When is your interview with that law firm? Are you still going through with it?"

Danny nodded. "Yeah, I'm going to see what they have to offer. The interview is tomorrow afternoon. It would be a great opportunity if it pans out."

"But then we'd never get to see each other," lamented Elena.

"Hopefully, by then, we'll be able to figure things out. Something has got to give, Elena. Carlos can't control your life forever."

Elena sighed as she looked up at him. "Okay, that's enough talking, Taylor."

"No more talking? What will we do?" he whispered as he leaned down to capture her lips with his.

Giggling against his lips, Elena shimmied closer to him to make the most of their stolen hour together.

* * *

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	19. Chapter 19

No one would have ever had guessed it, but Danny had been nervous, so nervous that he'd almost gotten on the wrong subway train on the way to the interview. So nervous that he'd had to stop in the men's room before the interview to splash cold water on his face because he had been certain that he was going to be sick. Not that he'd had the stomach to eat anything all day.

It wasn't the job or not thinking he could do the job that had made him nervous. Even though he'd struggled to get through law school because he partied too hard, he had excelled at it. He knew he'd be good in the courtroom. He knew he'd be good at interpreting the law, since he'd been doing it as an FBI agent for years. None of that made him nervous.

It had been the high-rise office building and all the important-looking people in $2000 suits. It had been that nagging voice inside that kept reminding him of the person he used to be…and where he came from. Danny Alvarez would never get an interview for a job like this. Hell, Danny Alvarez probably couldn't even get into the door of the building. And if Danny was really honest with himself, he knew that he only got an interview at all because of Martin.

Yet as he sat in the interview with two of the law firm partners and three senior associates, he gained more and more confidence with each question he answered. Pretty soon, the nauseous, nervous feeling was replaced with his easy-going, charming demeanor. He answered the questions seriously, but also added a bit of humor when it felt right. By the end of the interview, he was kicking himself for suffering through the day as a nervous wreck.

"Very impressive, Danny. I could tell the partners really liked you," Camille said as she escorted him to the elevators.

Danny smiled as he glanced her way. "They made it really easy. I really like the way you guys handle things here."

"Well, now the hard part begins. The partners are notorious for taking forever to make a decision, but you did great in the interview. I'll keep you posted," Camille said as she held out her hand.

Shaking her hand, Danny replied. "Thank you so much. This would have been much harder without your help."

"Martin spoke really highly of you and, after meeting you, I understand why," she said as Danny stepped on the elevator. "Tell him that I will get in touch with him soon. With as infrequently as we see each other, you'd never guess we live in the same city."

"I will. Take care, Camille," Danny said as the doors closed. Taking a deep breath, Danny leaned back against the wall of the elevator as all the tension left his shoulders. This could be a life-changing experience, he thought, in more ways than just changing careers.

"_Tell me something, Danny, how would you feel about working out of a different office?"_

_Danny was taken off guard by the question. The senior partner had been asking him about the type of law he was interested in practicing. The firm wanted him to work on their criminal cases, but also wanted to know if he would be interested in other types of law. He'd told them that he completely understood them wanting his expertise on criminal cases, but ultimately he'd like to get into civil litigation or family law. They seemed very receptive to his plan, but then they opened a whole other can of worms with the 'different office' question._

"_I'm sorry, sir. Another location?" Danny asked. _

_Camille interjected. "We have offices in San Francisco, Boston and Miami. Sometimes, we'll ask associates to put in some time in those locations. Many times, the associates love it so much that they want to stay. But there are some that can't wait to get back to New York."_

_Danny smiled. "Well, I honestly hadn't thought about moving," he said as the wheels started to turn in his brain. Maybe this was the answer. Elena had said that she wanted to pack Sophie up and leave so that Carlos couldn't find them. Maybe she and Sophie would go with him. "But now that you mention it, I'd see it as a great opportunity…a challenge. Don't get me wrong. I love this city, but I could definitely see myself going to any one of those places."_

_The senior partner's eyes lit up at Danny's enthusiasm. "Good. Very good."_

As Danny walked out of the building, he suddenly felt more optimistic than he had in weeks. Maybe things would finally come together for him, Elena and Sophie.

Walking down the steps of the closest subway station, Danny pulled out his cell phone and turned it on. He'd told Jack about the interview, so he wasn't expecting messages about work. However, as he checked the display he noticed that there were two voicemails. Anxious to catch the next train, he hurried through the turnstile. He made the train, but had to wait to check the messages until he got off the subway.

Four stops later, he got off the train and hurried up the steps to the sidewalk. Dialing his voicemail, he listened to the messages.

"_Hey, it's me. You probably won't get this before the interview, but I wanted to wish you good luck again. You'll do great. And I also wanted to tell you that Sophie's counselor thinks Carlos is ready to talk to Sophie this afternoon. So I'm bringing Sophie to her office after work…just in case you don't hear from me. I'll be thinking of you, mi amor."_

Danny checked his watch. The interview had gone much longer than he thought it would, so it was almost 6 p.m. Elena and Sophie were probably with the counselor right now. Turning the corner, Danny approached his building as he advanced to the next voicemail.

"_Danny!" Elena started in a frantic tone. "Call me…as soon as you get this. Carlos---"_

"Hey, Danny boy!"

Looking up, Danny didn't hear the rest of the message. Instead, he stopped in his tracks when he saw that Carlos was sitting on the front steps of his apartment building.

"Hey," Danny replied cautiously as he put his phone in his pocket. On instinct, his hand grazed his right hip to check for his gun before he realized that he'd left his gun in his office drawer since he was going to the interview. "What're you doing here?"

Standing up, Carlos casually stretched as if he'd been sitting there a long time. "Well, I figure you and me have a few things to talk about, amigo. You and me…we really haven't gotten a chance to hash things out…and I think it's about time we do."

Shaking his head, Danny ran his hand over his chin as he shrugged. "What the hell do we have to talk about? You wanted me out of Elena's life, and I'm out. It's done…over," he said in as convincing a tone as he could muster.

"Yeah, I heard about that. So sad," Carlos replied with a sinister smile. "But see, even though _you say_ you're out…and _she says_ you're out, I still have to hear about your sorry, back-stabbing ass every chance I get."

Danny frowned. "I don't know what you're talking about, man."

"No? You don't know?" Carlos replied, shaking his head. "Well let me enlighten you…I go today to try to make things right with my little girl and…and…once again, you're right there."

_Carlos sat at a table with Sophie and Andrea, her counselor, while Elena and the mediator sat on a sofa behind Sophie. Very slowly, Andrea started to draw Sophie out of her shell of fear from being in Carlos's presence._

"_Sophie, you're safe here," Andrea said in a calming tone. "Your mom is here. I'm here. Nothing bad can happen to you. And your dad, he really wants to talk to you. He really wants you to understand what he was going through a few months ago."_

_Sophie shrugged as she continued to look at her hands. _

_Carlos sighed and started to speak when Andrea held up her hand to stop him. _

"_Sophie, honey, we aren't going to do anything that you aren't ready for," Andrea continued. "A few days ago, you told me that you might want to hear what your dad has to say. Is that still true?"_

_Sophie nodded as she looked at Andrea, but still didn't make eye contact with Carlos. _

"_Okay," Andrea said. "Then we're going to listen to him, okay?"_

_Very hesitantly, Sophie turned so that she was facing Carlos. He gave her a small, non-threatening smile. _

"_Sophita, I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry that I scared you. I'm sorry that I scared your mom. I would never hurt either one of you. What I did…when I took you away from your mom…that was wrong. And it will never happen again. Do you understand, baby?"_

_Sophie nodded as her eyes filled with tears. _

"_It wasn't your fault. I was angry with your mom and I made a big mistake."_

"_You've made mistakes before, haven't you Sophie?" Andrea asked in a soothing tone._

_Sophie nodded._

"_You've done things without thinking first and gotten into trouble? Yes?" Andrea asked again._

"_Uh-huh," Sophie replied quietly. _

"_What do you do when you do something wrong?" she asked, gently._

"_Say I'm sorry," Sophie answered, her tone barely audible._

"_That's right. When people say they're sorry, we do our best to forgive them. Right, Sophie?"_

_Sophie nodded again as she looked at Carlos. "I'll try to forgive you, Daddy, but you scared us," she said as she turned and looked at Elena who was doing her best not to cry. _

"_I'm so sorry I scared you, baby. I didn't mean to. I swear I didn't. And you don't have to forgive me today, but I just want to make sure that you don't feel guilty or scared. None of this was your fault. You understand?" Carlos asked. _

_Sophie nodded. "I understand."_

"_Good, good, baby," Carlos replied. "I just want to be a little part of your life again. Just maybe visit you every once in a while, if that's okay."_

_Sophie sighed uneasily as she looked back at Elena again as if asking her mother what she thought._

"_Sophie, honey, its okay if you want to spend time with your dad. We can make sure your safe and we can take things slow," Elena responded to Sophie's silent question._

_Sophie looked back at her counselor and then at Carlos. "What about Danny?" she asked in almost a whisper._

_Carlos's eyes narrowed as he quickly glanced at Elena. Trying to keep himself under control, he looked back at Sophie. "What about him, sweetheart?"_

"_Will you get mad again if he's with mommy?"_

_Elena interjected. "Sophie, baby, we talked about this. Danny's not—"_

"_Danny's not with us anymore because of you," she said, looking at Carlos with wide, innocent eyes. "Mommy's afraid to be with him because it will make you angry again. But we love—"_

"_Sophie—" Elena interrupted sternly. "We talked about this. He's not—"_

"_No, no, Elena, it's okay. It's okay," Carlos said as he kept his eyes focused on Sophie's. "You know what, Sophie? If Danny makes your mom happy, then I'll be okay with that."_

"_You will?" Sophie asked in a hopeful tone._

"_Absolutamente!"_

"Something tells me you were saying that just for Sophie's and her counselor's benefit," Danny said in a sarcastic tone.

Carlos laughed as he stepped toward Danny. "You better believe it was just for their benefit because there's no way in hell I'll let you be in my daughter's life."

Smirking, Danny didn't back down as he took a step toward Carlos as well. "That sounds a little like a threat. Are…are you threatening me?"

Shaking his head as he raised his hands, Carlos took a step back. "Threaten a federal agent? No way, man. I'm just saying, Elena was on the right track when she dumped you. So keep it that way, amigo."

"Or what?" Danny asked, taking a step towards Carlos…daring him to make a move.

"You don't want to want find that out, man. I know people who know people who know people…," Carlos said as he raised his hand to hail a cab over. "Just stay away from them and everyone will be happy. You're a young, good-looking hombre, man. Don't forget, I remember how you used to operate. You could go out tonight and hook up with any senorita you wanted. Focus on that and stay the hell away from Elena and Sophie," he said as he opened the cab door and slid inside. "My daughter doesn't need another father. I'm her father. The sooner she forgets about you, the better."

Danny watched as Carlos shut the cab door as it pulled away. Taking a deep breath, he shook his head as he started up the stairs. As he opened the door to the building, he heard a car door open. Looking around, he was surprised to say the least.

"Thank God, you're here," Elena said as she crossed the sidewalk and up the steps.

Checking down the street, Danny made sure that Carlos's cab had been out of sight. "What the hell are you doing here?" he asked as she stopped in front of him. "You shouldn't be here."

Elena laid her palm on his chest. "I was worried when you didn't call me back. Danny…Carlos…Sophie said something during the session…something about you. It made him so angry."

Danny's first instinct was to tell Elena that Carlos had just left, but then he decided against it. There was no reason to add to her worries. "What made him angry?" he asked, not letting on that he already knew the whole story.

Taking a deep breath, Elena relayed the events that had occurred during the session as Danny led her up to his apartment. As he let her in, she finished, "He covered really well, but I could see the anger in his eyes. After the session ended, the counselor took Sophie out of the room and he looked at me like I was the enemy. I never thought about her bringing you up like that. I shouldn't have agreed—"

"But everything else went okay, right? I mean, as far as Sophie's concerned, she's better?" he asked as he guided her over to the sofa.

Elena nodded as she took a seat and then watched as Danny took off his jacket and loosened his tie before sitting down next to her. "Much better. It was like this weight was lifted from her. She's ready to forgive him, but Danny, I don't know how I can ever let her see him if he's going to keep threatening us."

Putting his arm around her, he pulled her close so that her head rested on his chest. "Where is Sophie now?" he asked in a concerned tone.

"I haven't let her out of my sight in months, so she begged me to go to her cousin's to spend the night. My brother will watch out for her. Besides, I really hope that Carlos meant what he said today when he said he wouldn't try to take her again. We can handle this, if it's just about us. I just don't want it to be about her again."

Danny nodded in agreement as he stroked her hair. "It's like we take one step forward and two steps back."

They sat like that in silence for several minutes. And then Elena remembered. Taking his hand, she asked, "How did the interview go?"

Smiling wryly, he rubbed his eyes with his free hand. "I almost forgot about that. It went well, really well."

"What was it like? Tell me—"

Leaning forward, Danny kissed her forehead and then her lips before saying, "I'll tell you about it later. You're here now. Sophie's safe. Let's make the most of it until we have to face reality again." And then he kissed her again as he slowly pulled her into his lap.

Truthfully, he just didn't want to talk anymore. He'd just lied to her and he wasn't even sure why. Of course, he hadn't wanted to add to her worries, but he'd also come to realization that he was going to have to handle this himself, one way or another. And there was really only one person he knew that could help him do what needed to be done.

* * *

Thanks for reading and reviewing! 


	20. Chapter 20

A/N - Thanks for reading and reviewing.

* * *

The sun hadn't begun to rise yet, and Danny was already on his way. The drive would take about an hour. If he got there early enough, then he wouldn't have to worry about calling in to tell Jack he would be late. He could have this early morning meeting and then be back in plenty of time to start the work day. 

Danny was tired. So tired, even though he we was well into in second cup of coffee. Elena had stayed with him until two in the morning. Even though he was fairly certain that Carlos hadn't come back, he still quietly guided Elena out of the fire escape exit and then walked with her through the back alley until they found the cab on the next block that he had called for her. Hopefully, they wouldn't have to hide like that for much longer. If he was able to get the help he'd needed this morning, then they definitely wouldn't have to hide any longer.

Needless to say, they hadn't gotten much sleep while they were together.

_Stretched out at the end of his bed, Danny watched as Elena polished off her third piece of pizza. She looked adorable, wearing his dress shirt that he'd worn that day to the interview - precariously held together by one button. _

_They hadn't even made it to the bedroom, instead making love on the couch. When they finally made it to his bed, Elena had declared that she was famished. So he'd heated up a frozen pizza and they ate in his bed. _

"_So good," Elena said as she ate her last bite and then wiped her hands with a napkin after putting the plate on the nightstand. "I was addicted to frozen pizza when I was pregnant with Sophie. I could pass five pizzerias on the way home and still only have a crazing for this." _

_Danny smiled as he ghosted his fingers over her legs. "That's…that's a little strange, Elena."_

"_I know. I know," she replied, lying back against a pillow enjoying the sensation of his touch against her skin. "I was so unhealthy. I gained sixty pounds with Sophie. You should have seen me."_

_Moving forward, Danny traced his fingers over her exposed stomach and then he feathered it with small kisses. "I did see you," he said as he glanced up at her._

"_You did? That's right, you did!" she replied remembering that he'd come to a bar-b-que/baby shower that some of her fellow NYPD officers had thrown for her and Carlos. _

"_You were beautiful…absolutely glowing," he whispered as he laid more gentle kisses on her tummy._

"_You're crazy. I was a whale, but God, I loved being pregnant. When I first found out, I was shocked and thought how I am going to handle this? But once I felt her inside of me, I just knew that I wanted her, you know? At that time, I still had faith that starting a family would somehow change Carlos, but more than anything? I knew I just wanted that baby so much."_

_Still focusing his attention on her mid-section, Danny suddenly asked, "Do you want more kids?" And he had no idea where that question had come from. _

"_Mmmmm…definitely," Elena answered as she ran her fingers through his hair. "I just want it to be different the next time I do it. I want stability. I don't want to go through it alone again. And if I have that, then I want as many babies as I can have!"_

_Looking up at her, Danny's eyes widened. "Really?"_

_Elena nodded, slightly embarrassed by her admission. "Hey, I love having a career, but if I could, I'd also love to stay home and raise lots and lots of kids," she replied while closing her eyes as if she could picture it. "What about you, mi amor? Have you had time to think about having babies while you've been living the single life?"_

_Chuckling, Danny pulled himself up so that he could face her. "Lately? It's all I think about," he said in a low tone as he leaned in to kiss her. _

_Smiling against his lips, Elena put her hand against his cheek. "You would be a great father."_

_Pulling away from her and looking in her eyes, Danny tucked her hair behind her ear. "What if I said I could give you that stability?"_

_Her heart beating fast after hearing his words, Elena shook her head uneasily as she began to speak._

"_Wait," Danny interrupted as he put his finger to her lips. "Just hear me out. Okay?"_

_She nodded as he traced his finger against her skin and then kissed her on the forehead._

"_I know that we really haven't had a chance to date or be a normal couple, but I know I love you. And I know I could build a life with you and Sophie. If that law firm gig works out, we could leave here together. They have offices in Boston and San Francisco. They even have one in Miami. I think I could go back there if I was with you. We could build new, great memories together to replace all the bad ones. That could be our answer, baby," he stated, his voice hopeful yet insecure all at the same time._

"_Danny, that sounds wonderful, but we haven't been together that long. It would be a huge step and I would have to be sure—"_

_He stopped her from finishing by kissing her quickly and then asked, "Did you mean it…at Cherry Hill…when you said that you were falling in love with me?"_

_Elena nodded. "Of course, but—"_

"_We could get married," he said as he eased her onto her back so that he was hovering above her. "I'll get that job, we'll move away from here and we'll start a life together. A stable life. I know it could work. You, me, Sophie, and as many babies as you want to have."_

_Elena couldn't help but smile, even though she really wasn't sure what to say to him. Placing her hand on his face, she kissed him. "I do love you, Danny. But you didn't see his face tonight. If we leave here together, he'll come after us," she said as the smile faded from her face._

_Sighing heavily, Danny rolled onto his back – the mention of Carlos making his blood boil. _

_Sitting up, Elena turned towards him. "I'm sorry—"_

_Reaching out, Danny took hold of her hand. "Look, we can't really bank on me getting that job anyway. So let's just forget about it—"_

"_No, no," she said as she moved on top of him and straddled his hips. "I don't want to forget it. We just need to be—"_

"_Be patient. Yeah, I got it," Danny said as he tried to keep the frustration out of his tone. Deciding he didn't want to ruin their night together, he traced his fingers up her tummy until it came to the one button that was still buttoning his shirt. "That was some expensive frozen pizza," he quipped as he unbuttoned the button and then traced his fingers higher._

"_What?" Elena breathed not understanding what he was saying, but completely enjoying the way he was touching her. _

_Danny smiled. "You got pizza sauce on my brand new Prada shirt."_

_Glancing down, Elena noticed the bright red stain. "Oh no," she smiled slyly. "Guess I'll just have to take it home with me. Yes? But I bet I can make it up to you," she said as she shrugged the white shirt from her shoulders and then leaned down to kiss him._

Shaking his head, Danny couldn't believe he'd been so open with her. Any fear of commitment or responsibility he'd ever had completely went out the window when it came to Elena. He'd been completely serious when he talked about taking her and Sophie away. But he also understood her fear of Carlos. He would come after them. Danny was sure of it, so he had to do something to stop him.

* * *

It was early; just a little after 6 a.m. Danny had used his FBI credential to request a special meeting in the prison yard, away from the guards and other prisoners. He sat on a set of metal bleachers at the edge of a cement basketball court. 

Hearing footsteps approaching, Danny looked up to see a guard escorting his brother towards him. When he met his brother's eyes, he could see surprise, happiness and worry in them.

"Thanks," Danny said as he stood up and nodded to the guard.

The guard nodded. "You have thirty minutes and then I'll need to take him back in. I'll be over there," he replied, motioning over to a guard stand about 100 yards away.

As the guard walked away, Danny smiled uneasily. "How you doing?"

Rafael gave Danny a confused frown. "What the hell is going on? Why the early morning meeting? Are Sylvia and the kids—"

"They're fine. They're all great," he assured him.

Rafael shrugged as he smiled at Danny. "Okay, then," he said as he held out his hand. "It's good to see you, hermano, despite the strange hour."

Danny took his hand and they half-hugged. This was still a little strange for Danny. He hadn't visited Rafi all that often and when he did visit, they rarely spoke about anything other than Rafi's family.

"I'm sorry to come out of the blue, but I need to talk to you about something," Danny said as he took a seat on the bleachers and motioned for Rafi to sit next to him.

"Is this about the commotion a couple of weeks ago? The warden asked me all sorts of questions and even put me in my own cell for a week. He said that there had been some kind of warning from a fed."

Danny nodded. "That's…that's part of it. Um, but I didn't know about what was happening or I would have come here myself to make sure you were okay."

"What is it? What happened?"

Rolling his eyes, Danny wasn't sure where to begin. "Um, there's a guy…someone who I used to be friends with…he's kind of threatening me right now and, a couple of weeks ago, he made a specific threat against you."

"A friend? What the hell kind of friend is he?"

"He's just someone who I've known for a long time, and…and recently, I started seeing his ex-girlfriend—"

"Elena? Sylvia told me about her."

Danny nodded. "Yeah, Elena. Things between her and Carlos were over and she and I had been working together—"

"Danny, you don't have to explain yourself. This guy sounds like a loose cannon."

Danny smirked. "That's an understatement. He kidnapped their daughter, Sophie, after he found out about me and Elena. I don't know what else he could be capable of, but when Elena found out that he might target you – she took steps to try to protect all of us."

"What are you going to do now?"

Rubbing his eyes, Danny shook his head. "I want to take her and Sophie away from here. I want to start a new life with her."

"Well, then you should. You deserve to be happy, Danny."

"He'll never let her and Sophie just go, Rafi. He'll come after them. He'll come after me. Or you. Right now, he thinks that Elena and I have broken up. As long as he believes that, then we're all safe."

"Can't you arrest him if he threatens you?"

Danny shrugged. "That won't mean anything unless he actually does something. The problem is that we're afraid of what he'll do."

"Well, don't worry about me, man. This place is a cake walk compared to where I was last time. It's easy to watch my back. I don't think this guy could touch me here."

Danny sighed. "He's connected, Rafi. He used to be in Vice. Deep cover stuff and he was very comfortable with lying down with the dogs if it could benefit him in some way."

Rafi took a deep breath as he rubbed his hands together. "That's not good."

"Nope," Danny replied. For a few moments, they didn't speak as Danny tried to find the words to ask Rafael what he'd come to ask him.

"You didn't' come here today just to make sure I'm okay, did you?" Rafi ask as he watched Danny's profile that show a conflicted, tortured expression.

Danny shook his head as he wiped the tears that began to form in the corners of his eyes. "I need your help, Rafi."

Realizing the full complexity of why Danny was there, Rafi replied, "Danny, no…no."

"What choice do I have? Am I just supposed to let her go? Or do we run away and then wait for him to hurt you or Sophie or Elena. I couldn't—"

"There has to be another way, hermanito," Rafi pleaded.

"There isn't. I wouldn't be here, if there was. I hate myself for coming to you like this…after all this time. But I don't know what else to do. I can't lose her, Rafi. I can't lose them," Danny said, failing to contain the emotion in his voice as he looked down at the ground – not able to look in his brother's eyes.

Reaching over, Rafi put his hand on the back of Danny's neck. "What do need from me?"

"A name," Danny whispered, voice full of shame because of what he was about to suggest. "Someone who couldn't be tracked back to either one of us and could make it look like it was one of Carlos's connections. Someone who could make Carlos disappear…forever."


	21. Chapter 21

It was a rare occasion for Elena to be at work early on a day when they weren't working a case. Usually, she was always rushing in at the last minute – the perils of being a single mother. But this morning, she actually found herself with some time to spare so she decided to stop by Starbucks before going in to the office.

As she approached the long line, she noticed an unmistakable long mane of blonde hair just two spots from the register. Quickly walking ahead, she tapped Sam on the shoulder.

"Morning, chica," Elena greeted.

"Hey," Sam replied. "This usually isn't your stop in the morning."

"Tell me about it. Sophie spent the night at her cousin's house, so I didn't have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off this morning."

"So you decided to indulge in the good stuff?" Sam said as she motioned to the expansive coffee menu.

"Si!" replied Elena. "Now if you could do me a huge favor and—"

"I got it," Sam replied as she finally made it to the front counter. "An extra dry cappuccino? Right?"

"You're a saint!" Elena said as she stepped out of way and waited for Sam at the barista counter.

After getting their coffees, they decided to take advantage of the warm late spring morning and sit at an outside table. It wasn't 8 a.m. yet and they hadn't been called in for a case, so they decided not to rush upstairs.

"On days like today, it's so hard to go to work," Sam said as she looked up at the blue sky.

"It's especially hard when it always seems to rain on the weekend. Last Saturday, Sophie and I would have killed to have a beach day, but the weather didn't cooperate."

"Maybe this weekend," Sam said as she sipped her mocha latte.

Even though her cappuccino was hitting the spot, Elena couldn't help but stifle a yawn. Between being at Danny's and getting back to her place after 2 a.m., she'd only gotten a few hours sleep.

"Late night?" Sam asked.

Elena nodded with a coy glance. "You could say that."

"You didn't take advantage of Sophie's sleepover to get some rest?"

Smiling, Elena closed her eyes as her mind flashed to the night before – most of which was spent in Danny's arms. "I…uh…no…I didn't get much sleep," she replied sheepishly.

Eyeing her curiously, Sam smiled. "Are you okay?"

Looking down at her coffee, Elena shook her head. She wanted so much to tell someone about what she and Danny had talked about, but she couldn't tell anyone in her family. And she wasn't even sure she trusted telling her friends. But she had to tell someone.

"Can I, um, can I tell you something and then you could just forget it like I never told you? I mean, no one can know…for many reasons…but I just need to get this out," Elena exclaimed, almost surprised by the excitement she felt.

Samantha shrugged. "You can tell me. I won't tell anyone. I promise."

Knowing she could trust Samantha, Elena bit her lip before spilling. "I think, um, I'm pretty sure that Danny asked me to marry him last night."

"Danny?" Samantha replied with a burst of laughter. "_Our Danny?"_

Elena laughed at Sam's reaction. "Yes. _Our Danny_."

Sam's eyes narrowed. "I thought you broke up with him?"

"I did, but then we started talking again. And, oh Sam, it's so complicated, but last night, we were talking and he just…kind of…asked me."

"What do you mean 'kind of?" Samantha asked, still shocked.

Sighing heavily, she explained, "I mean, he kind of wrapped it in this hypothetical question because he wasn't sure how I would react to it…and of course, I reacted very cautiously which didn't exactly give him a vote of confidence."

"You said no?"

"I didn't say no. Instead, I listed all the reasons why it was a dangerous idea," Elena replied, shaking her head.

"Do you regret not saying yes?" Sam asked with a sly smile.

Running her hands through her hair, Elena smiled. "I regret not giving him hope, because if circumstances were different? There's probably nothing I'd want more than to marry him."

* * *

Elena and Samantha finally made their way into the office, but not before Elena swore Samantha to secrecy. As she entered the bullpen, she was surprised to see that Danny hadn't arrived yet. He was usually always there by 7:30.

Deciding to get one more cup of coffee, Elena made her way to the break room, filled her coffee cup and then started to head back. As she approached the opening elevator, she smiled when she saw Danny make his way out of the crowd.

"Morning," she said as fell in step with him.

Glancing over at her, he responded, "Hey. Morning."

Elena could tell by the tone of his voice that he was distracted, so she placed her hand on his arm to stop him. "You okay?"

He turned towards her and gave her a weak smile. "I'm fine. Just a little tired."

Wincing, Elena leaned in to him. "I'm sorry," she said, referring to keeping him up until well after 2 a.m.

Danny shook his head. "Don't apologize. It wasn't a complaint," he replied as he tried to give her a more genuine, knowing smile.

"Good morning," Jack said as he approached them both in the hall.

Slightly startled, they both turned towards him simultaneously. "Morning," they replied in unison and then glanced at each other uneasily.

"You look like hell," Jack said as he gave Danny a once-over.

Elena winced again, while trying to act as if she wasn't overly concerned about Danny.

"Gee thanks, Jack," Danny replied, his tone sarcastic.

"Sorry," Jack said. "I just mean, you look like you haven't slept. You okay?"

Danny rolled his eyes as he looked from Elena to Jack. "I'm fine. Just didn't get much sleep. I'll have another cup of coffee and that will fix me right up," Danny said as he started to move again.

Before he could get very far, Jack said, "After you get that coffee, stop by my office – will ya?"

"Sure," Danny replied as he continued to walk.

Elena smiled slightly at Jack before quickening her pace so she could catch up with Danny at his desk. "That was weird. What do you think he wants?" Elena asked.

Taking off his suit jacket, Danny shrugged. "Don't worry. I'm sure it's not about us. Everything thinks we've broken up, remember?" he said in a clipped, annoyed tone.

"I…I know. I'm…I'm not worried. What's wrong, Danny?"

"Nothing. Like I said, I'm just tired. I'm sure Jack just wants to know how the interview went. That's it."

Elena nodded. "Okay," she replied in a quiet tone. "I guess I'll get to work," she said as she turned.

Danny didn't respond. He just grabbed his coffee mug and headed out of the bullpen. Elena couldn't help but think that maybe he'd regretted putting his heart on the line the night before. He couldn't be patient with her forever.

* * *

**Two Days Later**

"Mommy, can we order pizza?" Sophie asked as they made their way down the hall to their apartment.

"Not tonight, Sophie. Let's just heat up the leftover spaghetti. I promise we'll do pizza this weekend," Elena replied as she tried to hide the frustration in her tone. Taking out her key, she unlocked the door and then let Sophie inside. "Do you have any homework to finish, mamita?"

"No, I finished it at abuela's before you picked me up."

"Okay, you can watch a little television until I finish dinner. After we eat, it's straight to bed tonight."

"Got it," Sophie replied as she went into the living room.

Elena slipped off her shoes and padded into the kitchen. Then she opened the refrigerator, took out the spaghetti, and put it in the microwave. With that done, she took the cork off a bottle of red wine and poured a glass. Just as she sat down at the kitchen table, her cell phone rang. Looking at the display, she smiled.

"Hola, mi amor," she answered in a happy, but weary tone.

"Hey," Danny replied. "How you doing?"

"Mmmmm…I've been better."

"What happened?"

Elena sighed. "Well, I took Sophie to the counselor's office for another session with Carlos and he never showed up. So, once again, I have to explain things to Sophie so that she doesn't think it's because of her."

"Did…did he call, or…or anything?" Danny stammered.

"Nope. The mediator tried to get a hold of him, but he didn't answer. He'll probably come up with an excuse like the counselor told him the wrong day or something brilliant like that," Elena explained in an exasperated tone.

She waited a few beats for Danny to chime in, but there was only silence. "Danny? You still there?"

"Yeah…sorry…I'm here. Um, how's Sophie?"

"She's used to it. The counselor talked to her for a little while. I think she's okay."

"I wish I could be there for you tonight," he said, voice sounding down.

"Me, too. I'm glad that you called, though," Elena said as the microwave dinged. "That's dinner. Listen, I'll call you after I get Sophie to bed."

"Sounds good. I'll be here," Danny replied softly.

"Bye, querido."

* * *

**The next day – Friday**

Completely focused on analyzing some financial records of their latest missing person, Elena was startled to hear her desk phone ring. After marking her place in the records, she reached over to answer her phone.

"Delgado."

"Elena, can you come to my office, please?" Jack asked.

"Sure. I'm almost finished cross-referencing—"

"It's not about our case. It's another matter."

"I'll be right there," Elena said before hanging up the phone and rising from her chair.

As she approached Jack's office, she felt uneasy when she saw the two men that were standing in front of his desk. She recognized them right away.

"Jack?" Elena said as she opened his door and walked in.

Looking up from his desk, Jack motioned to her. "Have a seat?"

"What's going on?" Elena asked, remaining standing with her arms folded as the two men looked at her with suspicious glares.

"You remember Matt Kwon, Carlos's partner?"

Elena nodded as she refused to acknowledge Kwon's glare.

"And this is Sergeant-"

"Feldman," Elena finished in a frustrated tone, recognizing the Vice sergeant that Carlos used to report to. "What are they doing here?"

"We're looking for Carlos," Feldman said as he took a step towards Elena. "Do you know where he is?"

Shaking her head, Elena finally met the two agents' eyes. "I have no idea where he is."

"When is the last time you saw him?"

"Why? What's going on?" Elena asked.

"Detective Kwon went to Carlos's apartment when he hadn't heard from him in several days," Jack explained. "Apparently, it looked like there had been a struggle; his apartment was broken into. And there's no sign of Carlos."

Her eyes widening in surprise, Elena finally sat down. "Um, Tuesday night. Sophie had a session with her counselor and Carlos was a part of the session."

"What time did that wrap up?" Kwon asked in cool tone.

"Around 5:30, I think."

"Where did you go after the session?" Kwon asked.

"I dropped Sophie off at her cousin's, my brother's house, for a sleepover."

"And then what?" Kwon pressed.

Feeling annoyed and not wanting to give out any more personal details, Elena glared at him. "What are you doing, Matt? You think I did something to him? I haven't seen him since that night. He was supposed to show up at another session last night, but he never did. The mediator called, but never got a hold of him. I just figured he'd forgotten."

"He wouldn't forget about something so important, Elena," Kwon responded. "And yes, I have my suspicions that you'd do just about anything to get Carlos out of your life."

Hearing the pointedness in his tone, Elena was sure he was referring to her holding a gun to his head when she'd been looking for Sophie. "I don't want him out of my life…he's Sophie's father. I just don't want him to harass me or the people I care about anymore. That's it."

"What about your boyfriend? I bet he wants Carlos out of your life!" Kwon accused.

"Now wait a minute," Jack interjected. "All you said was that you wanted to get an idea of Carlos's movements. Elena has answered your questions. You have no right to accuse anyone."

"Do you know if Taylor has seen Carlos recently?" Feldman asked.

"Sergeant—"Jack began to warn.

Elena interrupted. "No, its okay, Jack. Danny hasn't seen in Carlos in months. He'd have no reason to see him."

"You sure about that?" Kwon asked sarcastically. "Where did you go after you dropped your daughter off?"

"Screw you, Matt. I don't have to answer to you," Elena spat.

"No you don't. But if we don't get some answers here, then we'll be filing a missing persons report. And rest assured, you guys won't get anywhere near this case – because all the heat will be on you and boyfriend."

"You're out of line, Detective Kwon," Jack warned. "You won't come in here, and—"

"Ask her, Agent Malone. Ask her where she was that night. Ask her if she and Taylor had a run-in with Carlos that night…Tuesday night…the last time anyone saw him."

Jack threw a cautious look at Elena, but all she felt was confusion. "We didn't see him that night. I went to his apartment, but we never saw Carlos," she replied as she looked at Jack.

Jack frowned, clearly confused because he'd thought that they weren't together anymore.

Kwon sighed heavily before stating, "We have a witness, a cab driver, who picked up Carlos right in front of Taylor's building at 6 p.m. Tuesday night. The cabbie says that Carlos was in a heated exchange with a man who sounds an awful lot like Taylor."

Feeling like she'd been blindsided, Elena tried not to let it show on her face. "That must have happened before I got there, if it happened at all."

"Danny didn't say anything?" Jack asked.

Elena shook her head. "No, he didn't mention it."

"How long were you there?" Feldman asked.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Elena shrugged. "I…I—left around 2 a.m."

"Was Taylor in the apartment?" Kwon asked.

With each question that she answered, Elena felt like she was implicating Danny in something. Why hadn't he told her that Carlos had been there? What was going on?

"Elena – where was Taylor when you left that night?" Kwon pressed again.

Completely agitated, Elena finally answered, "He walked me downstairs! I got in a cab and that was it!"

"When is the next time you saw him?"

Elena and Jack shared a glance as they both remembered Danny's weary appearance Wednesday morning. "Here at work the next day…around 8:45."

"We want to talk to Agent Taylor," Kwon said as he turned to Jack.

Jack shook his head. "No. You're not talking to anyone else until you prove that Carlos hasn't just taken off."

"His apartment was to broken into, Agent Malone. That's cause, right there," Sergeant Feldman interjected.

"Great, you have cause. But you won't talk to anyone else here until you have filed a report," Jack said as he rose from his desk. "And if you do talk to Agent Taylor, you will advise him of his rights, first."

The two men exchanged a look as they started to walk toward the door. "We'll be back this afternoon," Feldman said as they walked out.

Elena stood up as she watched them walk out. She had a nauseous feeling in her stomach as she turned to Jack. "It's a mistake, Jack. Danny wouldn't—"

"Have you guys been sneaking around because of you were afraid of what Carlos might do?"

Elena nodded, realizing she needed to come clean. "He, um, he made these thinly veiled threats."

"You have a restraining order. He can't threaten you."

"Not me. It was Danny, or rather Danny's brother. I thought Carlos would try to get to him because he was vulnerable. At first, I tried to keep it from Danny—"

"But he found out?" Jack asked.

Elena nodded.

"Stupid…stupid—"

"Jack, we were being careful!"

"I stopped Danny from putting a bullet in Carlos's head. He wanted to do it. Hell, he was still angry that I hadn't let him do it at the time of Carlos's trial. And now, on top of Danny wanting to protect you and Sophie, he finds out that Carlos is threatening Rafael? Do you realize what Kwon and Feldman will think if they find this out?"

Running her hands through her hair, Elena shook her head. "I—I—"

"He didn't say anything to you on Tuesday night about seeing Carlos?"

"No. Nothing."

"Why the hell would Carlos go to Danny's? To look for you?" Jack asked in a frustrated tone.

Elena shook her head again. "Sophie mentioned how much she missed Danny during the session with Carlos and the counselor. Sophie doesn't know that Danny and I are together. She said it in an innocent way and it made Carlos really angry."

Shaking his head, Jack paced back and forth. "This…this is bad. Really bad. We don't have much time. Where is Danny now?"

"He and Vivian went to our missing person's office building to question somebody. They left about an hour ago."

"Okay, I'm going to get him back here and talk to him. You…you have to steer clear of him, otherwise Kwon and Feldman will think you're trying to get your stories straight. So just stay focused on our missing person, and I'll see what I can do for Danny."

Elena nodded as she took a few steps towards the door. "Jack, Carlos was involved with a lot of bad people. It's likely that—"

"That doesn't matter," Jack cut her off. "At least not right now. All Feldman and Kwon know is that Danny was the last person to see Carlos…and there's a witness who saw them fighting. You've worked missing persons a few years now. Knowing just that, who would your prime suspect be?"

* * *

A/N – Ahh, the story has officially shifted into a missing person's case. Now that it has, I may show different POVs other than just Danny and Elena's. Thanks for reading and reviewing. 


	22. Chapter 22

A/N – I'm sorry for the delay and for the shortness of this chapter. I promise a longer one very soon! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Instead of calling Danny back to the office, Jack decided to go to him. He tracked Danny and Vivian down at their missing person's work place. Just as he entered the parking area, he noticed Vivian and Danny talking to each other in the parking lot. As he pulled up next to them, they both frowned as he put the car in park and got out. 

"Hey," Danny greeted in a perplexed tone. "Everything okay?"

Jack glanced at Danny uneasily before turning his focus to Vivian. "Have you guys finished up here?"

Vivian, also completely perplexed, replied, "Yes, but they didn't give us much. We were just about to head back to the office."

Jack nodded. "Okay, um, Elena is still working on our guy's financials. And Martin and Sam are following up on another lead with his brother. Danny's going to come with me, and you can take the car back to the office."

Danny's frowned deepened as he was about to say something, but Vivian beat him to it.

"Where are you guys going?"

"Yeah, where are we going?" Danny asked sarcasticly.

Jack sighed. "I can't explain it now. I just need Danny to come with me," he said as he opened his car door and slid into the driver's seat.

Continuing to look confused, Danny just gave Vivian a shrug as he made his way around to the passenger side and got in the car.

Watching Vivian get into her car, Danny asked, "What the hell is going on Jack? Did something happen?"

"You tell me," Jack responded, sounding annoyed as he put the car in reverse.

"Viv and I were here…working the case. I don't know—"

"When's the last time you saw Carlos Aguilar?" Jacked asked suddenly, cutting to the chase.

Doing a double-take, Danny shook his head. "What? Why? What's going on?"

"Just tell me when you last saw Carlos?" he pressed as he pulled into traffic.

Danny shrugged. "I…um…I—"

Glancing over at Danny quickly, he cut him off. "Don't lie to me. Don't you dare lie to me."

Narrowing his eyes, Danny glared at Jack. "I saw him a few nights ago. Tuesday night. Now you tell me why the hell you need to know?"

"His partner and his Sergeant think that he's missing. They've tracked his last movement to your place that night. A cabbie picked him up and dropped him off at his apartment. But the last person he talked to _was you_. And the cabbie says you were arguing. What were you arguing about?"

Danny took a deep breath and exhaled as he tried to collect his thoughts. "It wasn't really an argument. He was pissed about something that happened with Sophie. I told him that I was out of their lives…Elena and Sophie's."

"You lied to him?"

Danny nodded, realizing that Jack must know the truth – that he and Elena were still very much together.

Jack maneuvered his way onto the highway as he asked his next question. "Did Carlos threaten you or your brother?"

"Elena told you about that?"

Jack nodded. "She told me about Carlos's threats. Did he make any more threats that night?"

Danny shook his head. "Nothing that would hold up in court."

"What happened after he left?"

Frowning, Danny ran a hand through his hair. "If you've talked to Elena, then you know that she came to my apartment. I was with her for most of the night."

"She told me. She also told me that you put her in a cab at 2 a.m. What did you do after that?"

"What do you mean what did I do?" Danny asked, clearing not liking Jack's accusatory tone. "It was two in the morning. I went to bed."

"So you were alone from the time Elena left until you showed up at working the next morning?" Jack asked, his voice in full interrogation mode.

Danny nodded as he rubbed his eyes. "Yeah…yes, I was alone."

* * *

Deciding there wasn't much more he could do other than start a search for Carlos, Jack decided to just wait it out until he heard more from Kwon and Sergeant Feldman. After all, they weren't even sure if Carlos was actually missing. When he and Danny got back to the office, Danny returned to his desk and Jack to his office.

A few moments after getting settled, Martin and Samantha came in to update him on what they'd found about the missing person. After briefing him on their interviews, they turned to leave, but then Jack had a thought.

"Martin? Can you stay for a minute?" Jack asked as he closed the file folder in front of him.

"Sure," Martin said as he glanced at Sam as she walked out the door. "What's up?"

"I, um, I'd like you to look into something for me. It's not related to this case, and it's highly sensitive."

"What's it about?" Martin asked curiously as he took a seat.

"It's, um, it's about Danny. I'd like you to check his alibi from a couple of nights ago. I'm asking you because I know you'll be discreet."

"His alibi?" Martin asked, voice full of confusion.

Jack nodded as he explained the details of what happened with Carlos and what might happen to Danny if Carlos didn't turn up soon. "I just don't want us to be taken by surprise. And if we need to protect Danny, then we can be prepared."

"You really think that Danny could have done something to Carlos? Jack, I can't imagine—"

"I know what his mindset was just a few months ago. And now that I know he's still very much a part of Elena's life, I think he'd do whatever he could to protect them," he answered with a heavy sigh. "But honestly Martin, I just don't know. I do know that Kwon has his gut set on Danny, so I just want to make sure all the bases are covered."

"Got it," Martin said as he rose from his chair. "I, um, I'll go to the tech to run some record checks. I'll keep it quiet."

Jack nodded appreciatively. "Danny can't know we're doing this. He wouldn't understand—"

"I know…believe me, I know. Jack," Martin interrupted, his voice full of dread as he walked out of Jack's office.


	23. Chapter 23

Taking a deep breath, Elena ended the phone call. She'd stepped out on to the balcony to call Sophie's school to make sure Sophie was still there and to let them know she'd be picking her up. Even though Kwon and Feldman thought something had happened to Carlos, Elena couldn't help but think he was just laying low so he could take Sophie again.

How had things become such a mess, she thought? First, she'd almost lost Sophie and now she feared that circumstances had driven Danny to do something they both would regret. She should never have encouraged him. She shouldn't have let him kiss her that first time. She shouldn't have let him get close to her and Sophie. And she certainly shouldn't have started sleeping with him. It was all a mistake that seemed destined to ruin their lives.

Even though those thoughts were invading her mind and making her second guess everything, she still couldn't get the memories out of her heart.

_Walking into her kitchen, Elena couldn't help but smile at the sight in front of her. Sophie and Danny were surrounded by all different colors of construction paper and poster board as they carefully cut out different shapes. As Elena filled two mugs with coffee that she'd just made, she listened to them talking._

"_Are you sure you need all of these, Soph? I mean, I think your class will get the idea with what we have so far," Danny said as he continued to cut carefully along an edge._

_Sophie stopped cutting and looked up at him. "I want my tree to be the best. I want it to really pop, you know?"_

_Stopping in mid-cut, Danny looked at the child like she was an alien. "You want it to pop? How old are you really?"_

_Sophie giggled. "I'm almost eight, silly."_

"_I don't believe it. I think you're more like twelve. You're really scaring me," Danny responded as he refocused on his task of cutting the construction paper. _

"_She's scaring me, too," Elena interjected as she approached them and put a coffee next to Danny. "Because she was supposed to be in bed a half hour ago!"_

"_Mommy, I have to finish this tonight," Sophie pleaded._

"_How much do you have left, mamita?"_

"_Just these five leaves here and those branches there," she answered motioning toward Danny. _

"_Okay, well, I'll finish cutting them out for you. And then you can paste them tomorrow morning."_

"_Mommy!"_

"_No arguments, Sophie. If you planned on doing something so complicated, then you should have started on it days ago."_

_Shoulders slumped, Sophie stood up. _

"_You did a great job, Sophie. This is going to be the most beautiful family tree ever," Danny said enthusiastically. _

"_Thanks…and thanks for helping me," she said as she hugged him goodnight._

"_It was fun," Danny said before kissing her forehead. "Sleep well, mija."_

_Elena just smiled at him as she led Sophie down the hall. _

_Ten minutes later, Elena returned to find Danny continuing to cut out the shapes. He was completely focused on it and looked absolutely adorable. _

"_Danny, you don't have to finish that," she said as she picked up her coffee from the counter and took a seat next to him. _

_Briefly looking up at her, he shrugged. "Come on, it will take us a few more minutes to finish it. I'm kind of committed to getting it done now."_

_Elena smiled, completely overwhelmed by the moment. Reaching out, she traced her fingers over his wrist and arm. _

_Looking at her again, Danny stopped cutting and returned her smile. "What?"_

_Shaking her head, Elena leaned into him and brushed her lips against his. Putting her hand on his cheek, she continued to kiss him for a few moments before pulling away. _

"_You're a really good guy, Danny Taylor," she said as she let her fingers linger against his cheek._

_Rolling his eyes, Danny laughed as he shook his head. "It's just a little help with homework, Elena. Not such a big deal, but I'll take the kiss anyway I can get it," he said as he continued cutting again._

_Elena didn't answer. She just picked up a pair of scissors to join in. Little did Danny know, but the simple task of helping her daughter meant more to her than she could ever describe to him. _

She couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was moments like those that had made it impossible for her to give Danny up. But what had her actions lead him to?

"Elena."

She heard Danny's soft, gentle voice say her name and her heart sank. Turning towards him, she crossed her arms as their eyes met. Very quickly, her good memory of him was replaced with the more recent knowledge that he'd lied to her. Not able to speak, she shook her head and looked down as she tried to move past him.

Taking her arm, Danny stopped her. "Elena, I need to explain."

Gently, Elena pulled her arm away as she looked into the windows, self-consciously, to see if anyone could see them.

Raising his hands, Danny took a step back. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want you to worry. He didn't say anything new or make any real threats. It was—"

"You should have told me, Danny," Elena cut him off, finally looking up at him. "You let me tell you how worried I was, and you didn't say a word. Because I didn't know what happened, now Kwon and Feldman know that you kept it from me. They baited me into it, Danny."

"I know. Jack told me and I'm sorry. It was stupid. But I thought I could deal—"

"It's not your business to deal with."

His brow creasing into a deep frown, Danny got angry. "It's not my business? Get real, Elena. He's threatened Rafi. And…and, no matter much of a secret we've tried to keep this, we are still very much together. The only reason he's so angry is because of me. So it's absolutely my business," he stated emphatically.

Taking a moment to look at him, Elena saw the anger and frustration in his eyes. Without even thinking, Elena asked, "Did…did anything happen after…after I left you that night? Did you…did you…" she stopped, not able to finish her question.

His eyes softening as she struggled with the question, Danny sighed softly. "I didn't do anything to him. I haven't seen him since that night in front of my building."

After carefully regarding him for a few moments, she felt satisfied with his answer. "Okay, um, I…Jack said that we shouldn't talk…he doesn't think—"

Reaching out to her, he cut her off, "I don't care what Jack thinks. He—"

Raising her hand, Elena stopped him. "He doesn't want it to look like we're getting our stories straight. And I agree with him. If Carlos is missing or if something has happened to him, then Kwon will come after you. I know he will, Danny. So I think we should listen to Jack and just lay low."

Running a hand through his hair, Danny stepped aside so she could move past him. "Fine."

Elena started for the door, but then turned back. "I'm going to pick Sophie up from school now. I want to keep her close until we find out exactly where Carlos is. I'm sorry about all this."

"It's not your fault," Danny responded quietly as he looked straight ahead. "It's not your fault."


	24. Chapter 24

A/N - I'm terribly sorry for not updating. I'll really try to do better. There are only a few chapters left, so I'll try to get them posted soon. Thanks for reading and reviewing!

* * *

Martin hated this. He hated checking into Danny's life: phone records, credit card checks, and anything else he could pull up on the computer. But Jack had asked him to do it and he'd rather it was him than someone else.

There had been no activity in the short window of time that Jack had given him, so the next step was for Martin to expand his search and check more recent activity. Pouring over the phone records, Martin searched for a trend or an odd phone number. The only trend he found was that Danny's phone calls were to either one of team's cell phones or to Elena's home phone. Other than those calls, there really wasn't any other activity.

Continuing to scan the records, Martin's eyes landed on that morning's phone records. Shortly after Jack and Danny had returned to the office, Danny had made one call from his cell phone and then ten minutes later, the same number called him back. Entering the phone number into a database, Martin swallowed hard when he read the return results.

* * *

Entering the bullpen, Martin found Danny at his desk carefully scanning through DEA records on his computer screen.

Danny was so focused on what was in front of him, that he hadn't even noticed Martin standing right next to him until Martin asked, "What are you doing?"

Startled, Danny looked up for a moment and then shook his head as his eyes focused back on his computer screen. "It's nothing. Just something I'm looking in to."

"About Carlos?" Martin asked, trying to mask the suspicion in his tone.

Looking up with a scowl, Danny responded. "Jack told you?"

Martin nodded. "Yeah, he told me. And I'm not so sure you digging into Carlos's work is the best thing for you to be doing right now."

Frowning, Danny turned his chair so he was fully facing Martin. "Why the hell not? Carlos has enemies. He's been on the take for years. It's very likely that one of his contacts took him out or…or forced him to go on the run. Look at these guys," Danny said, motioning to the computer screen. "The Sergei brothers have been on the DEA watch list for years. Carlos had a CI in their crew. One of the brothers was arrested about month before Carlos was fired. But when the brother went to trial, the evidence had mysteriously disappeared. I'm thinking Carlos may have made the evidence disappear. These are bad guys, Martin. This is the kind scum who Carlos was connected to."

"Look, I don't disagree. I'm sure Carlos has many drug contacts who might want to see him go away, but Kwon doesn't seem that interested in pursuing those leads right now. Right now, all he's interested in is you."

"That's exactly why I'm trying to figure out what actually happened," Danny replied, his voice agitated.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Martin sighed, "Danny, we need to talk. Jack asked me to look into some things—"

"What things?" Danny interrupted.

Sighing again, Martin looked around the bullpen. "We shouldn't talk about this here. Let's…let's go into one of the conference rooms."

Frown firmly in place, at first it looked as though Danny wasn't going to go anywhere. He carefully regarded Martin for a few moments, before finally getting up and motioning for Martin to lead the way.

They walked down the hall to a conference room and entered. Martin took a seat, while Danny paced a bit.

"Why don't you sit down?"

"Nah…I don't want to sit. Just tell me what the hell this is about," Danny ordered as he stopped pacing and looked directly at Martin.

"Jack asked me to run a check on where you were between 2 a.m. and 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday morning," he stated, getting right to the point.

Taking a sharp breath, Danny took a step back. "You checked my alibi?"

Martin nodded.

"Son of bitch," Danny replied in almost a whisper as he turned away for a few moments.

Not sure whether Danny was referring to Jack or him, Martin said, "Danny, we just wanted to make sure we were a step ahead of whatever Kwon and Feldman could find."

"I told Jack that I had nothing to do with whatever happened to Carlos," Danny said emphatically. "Clearly, he doesn't believe me…and I guess you don't either."

"I want to believe you. But you weren't telling Jack the truth when you told him you were at your apartment that morning."

Raking a hand through his hair, Danny finally sat down across from Martin. "What did you find out?" he asked in a hesitant, dread-filled tone.

"You were really careful not to use any phones or make any credit card charges that morning, so it's very possible that Kwon and Feldman won't figure this out. But you weren't so careful this morning. As soon as you found out about Carlos, you called a guard at your brother's prison, and then ten minutes later, you got a call back. I'm assuming the guard made it possible for your brother to call you back."

"That doesn't prove anything, Martin," Danny shrugged. "Maybe I just wanted to talk to Rafi this morning."

"Maybe, but it doesn't really make sense that you would all of sudden need to speak to him outside of the time normally designated for phone calls. So I called the number and spoke to the guard. He told me that you called him Tuesday morning…must have been from a pay phone… and said you had to see Rafael right away. The guard said he gave you special consideration because you're an FBI agent."

"Martin—"

"Tell me the truth, Danny. What did you do? What has your brother done?"

"Nothing! Rafael hasn't done anything at all. Martin, you can't tie him into this. You can't tell Jack. Please—"

"I can't lie. And neither can you. What happened to Carlos? What did you and your brother talk about that morning?"

Shaking his head, Danny raked his hands through his hair. "I was stupid. I wasn't thinking clearly. It's my fault, not his."

Inhaling sharply, Martin leaned across the table. "What happened, Danny? You have to tell me."

"It's not what you're thinking. I mean, I wanted…I went there that morning to see if Rafael could help me. And he did help me, but not in the way I'd thought I'd wanted."

_Reaching over, Rafi put his hand on the back of Danny's neck. "What do need from me?"_

"_A name," Danny whispered, voice full of shame because of what he was about to suggest. "Someone who couldn't be tracked back to either one of us and could make it look like it was one of Carlos's connections. Someone who could make Carlos disappear…forever."_

_Keeping his hand on this back of his neck, Rafi just looked at his brother, whose head was bowed in shame. He'd never seen Danny like this as an adult. He'd never seen him this desperate. Suddenly, Rafi flashed to their childhood. He remembered seeing fear in Danny's eyes and wanting nothing more than to take the fear away. Twenty-five years later, he had the same feeling. He wanted nothing more than to protect his little brother. He wanted to make up for abandoning him after their parents died. _

"_I can't do that, Danny. I won't do that to you."_

_Looking up quickly and shrugging Rafi's hand from his neck, Danny frowned. "What? I've never asked you for anything, and now—"_

"_I could help you with this, but the best way to protect you is not to do it. Danny, you've always been so good. You were a good boy. You're a good man. Sylvia and Nicky always talk about what a good heart you have and how well you treat them. Being responsible for something like this would tear you up inside."_

_Shaking his head, Danny turned to face Rafi. "You're wrong. If doing this meant keeping Elena and Sophie safe, then—"_

"_It's not in you, Danny," Rafi cut him off. "And that's a good thing. Remember that guy I used to run with when we were kids? Pedro? He tried to recruit that time. He told you that you had to give a beating to some little kid. You couldn't do it, but you couldn't tell Pedro that you didn't do it. I had to—"_

_Rolling his eyes, Danny interrupted. "I'm not twelve years old anymore, Rafi. I know exactly what I have to do. All I need from you is a name. I'll take care of the rest."_

_Even though Danny was trying to sound resolved, Rafi could see the uneasiness and pain in his eyes. "Listen to yourself, mijo! This isn't you. You're talking about murder. Murder! Taking someone's…an old friend's life. You don't want that blood on your hands."_

_Completely frustrated, Danny rubbed his eyes. "Then what am I going to do?" he asked, his voice emotional._

"_You're going to do what you always do…the right thing. You'll find a legal way out of this. And you'll find happiness with this woman and her daughter. Because you deserve it."_

"After I left him, I still wasn't sure. I still wanted Carlos gone, but I did a lot of thinking during the drive back to the city. And I realized that Rafi was right. I couldn't live with myself if I did something like that. I couldn't look into Sophie's eyes ever again without feeling…disgusted with myself. So I let it go, and I just vowed to help Elena find a way to deal with Carlos legally. It was a stupid moment of weakness, Martin."

Martin carefully regarded Danny for a few moments. He really didn't want to ask his next question, but knew he had to do it to tie up this angle of the case. "Do you think it's possible that Rafael put something in motion on his own?"

Immediately shaking his head, Danny leaned forward. "No. No way, man. He'd never do anything that could possible get me into trouble."

"But that's why you called him this morning? To make sure?"

Nodding, Danny responded. "Yeah, I just needed to talk to him…to make sure. And I am sure…completely sure."

From just knowing Danny and going through all they'd gone through together, Martin could tell that he was telling the truth. "Okay, um, Jack's going to want to know what I found out. You know that, right?"

"I know and I just need a little more time. I think I'm on to something with the Sergei brothers. I really do believe that they came after Carlos…ransacked his apartment and took him. Or maybe he went with them willingly. But there is something there, Martin. I just need a little more time."

"But Kwon and Feldman—"

"It's going to take Kwon and Feldman at least 24 hours to get warrant for my cell phone records. And they might not even put it together about the phone calls this morning. Just give me until the end of today," Danny pleaded, his eyes showing desperation. "Tell Jack you're still running information down. If something doesn't break by then, then you and I will go to Jack together and I'll tell him exactly what happened on Tuesday morning."

"I don't know, man—"before Martin could finish, the door of the conference room opened. Martin looked up to find Jack watching them intently.

"Hey," Jack said as he opened the door.

Turning toward the door, Danny looked up. "Hey."

Walking into the room, Jack's eyes traveled from Danny to Martin and then back to Danny. "Kwon and Feldman are on their way back here. They've filed an official missing person's report. They want to observe while Detective Royce from NYPD Missing Persons questions you."

Hesitantly rising from his chair, Danny responded with a quiet, "Okay."

"You should call a lawyer. There might be someone upstairs who—"

"No, no," Danny interrupted, shaking his head. "I don't need a lawyer. I've got nothing to hide," he said as he glanced at Martin with pleading eyes.

"Danny, they're going to grill you…about Carlos…and Elena and anything else that might get them some answers. You of all people know how important it is to have a lawyer in there with you," Jack explained.

Danny shrugged. "I just want to get this over with. Carlos is missing because of his drug connections…not because of me and Elena. The sooner they realize that, the better off we'll be. Where am I meeting them?" Danny asked, voiced resolved.

"My office. I'll be there with you, if that's okay?"

"Yeah, sure," Danny said as he walked to the door. "You coming?" he asked as he opened the door.

"In a minute. I'll meet you in there," Jack said as he turned to Martin.

Before Danny walked out, he tossed another cautionary glance Martin's way – hoping that he'd decided to give him a little more time.


	25. Chapter 25

Note: I'm so sorry I haven't updated. I'm really going to try to get this finished before the new season starts. Hopefully, someone out there is still interested in how this will end. To recap where we left off: Danny was trying to convince Martin to cover for him for a bit longer while he tries to find out what really happened to Carlos. Elena is feeling betrayed by Danny because he lied to her about seeing Carlos the night he disappeared. Kwon and Feldman are anxious to interrogate Danny about the night he fought with Carlos.

* * *

"So….anything?" Jack asked Martin, referring to the alibi check that he'd asked Martin to conduct earlier.

Sitting back in his chair, Martin took a moment to ponder Danny's approach. He knew Jack would be pissed off, but at the very least, he owed Danny a little time. After all, there was a time when Danny had covered for him and had given him time to figure things out. "I'm still working on it. So far, his phone records and financial checks indicate he didn't leave his apartment on Tuesday morning. But I'm still waiting on a few things."

"So what were you guys talking about in here?" Jack asked, skepticism in his tone.

Martin shrugged. "Um, he's taking a pretty hard look at some of Carlos's drug contacts. He just wanted to run some things past me. Danny really seems to think that one of these guys is responsible for Carlos's disappearance. And I really hope he's right."

Nodding, Jack walked to the door. "Me, too," he said as he walked out and headed back to his office.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

While sitting in Jack's office, Danny couldn't control the nervous feeling in his stomach. Looking down, he suddenly realized his knee had been involuntarily bouncing up and down. Even though he knew he hadn't done anything wrong, just the fact that he'd considered doing it made him feel guilty.

Taking a deep breath, Danny tried to calm himself down. Just as he composed himself, his cell phone rang.

"Taylor," he answered.

"Danny? It's Camille. How are you?"

Frowning, Danny resisted the urge to ask who the hell Camille was before actually remembering that it was Martin's friend, Camille, and the attorney who got him the job interview.

"Danny…Danny? You there?" she asked.

"Yeah, yes, I'm here. I'm sorry, Camille. How are you?" he quickly responded in a distracted tone.

"I'm doing well. I have some great news for you. The partners would like to extend an offer to you."

Sighing deeply, Danny sat back in the chair. On one hand he was about to questioned in someone's disappearance, and on the other, he was being offered a dream job at one of the best law firms in Manhattan. Right as he was about to respond, he caught sight of Elena and Sophie walking down the hall. His heart sank as he watched Elena guide Sophie into one of the conference rooms.

"Danny?"

Running a hand over his face, he finally responded. "I'm sorry, Camille. Um, that is…that is amazing news, but you just caught me at a bad time."

"Oh, right, are you in the middle of case?"

"You could say that, yes," Danny answered as he took a short breath.

"Well, tell you what, we're putting the offer together right now. How about if I call you on Monday and we can set up a meeting to discuss it?."

"That's great. Perfect," Danny responded as he watched Jack walk into his office.

"Thanks, Camille." He nodded to Jack as he continued. " Have a good weekend."

"You, too. Bye, Danny."

"Bye."

"You should rethink having a lawyer here," Jack said as he watched Danny put his phone away.

Shaking his head, Danny looked at Jack. "I just want this to be over, so then they can focus on investigating the real reason Carlos is missing."

Nodding, Jack took a seat in his desk chair and then gave Danny a concerned glance. "I noticed that Elena just brought Sophie here."

"Carlos might just be laying low. If he is, then Elena wants to make sure he doesn't have an opportunity to take Sophie again."

"Probably smart," Jack responded quietly and then gently changed the subject. "Martin, uh, filled me in."

Feeling a sense of panic, Danny replied, "Filled you…filled you in on what?"

"That you've found some leads on Carlos's dangerous contacts. After we get through with this interview, I'll do what I can to help you follow up on those."

Swallowing hard, Danny had to fight to keep his composure. If Martin had told Jack what he'd really found out about his alibi, Jack wouldn't be nearly this supportive. "Th…thanks, Jack. I, uh, I think I could be on to something. Carlos has had recent dealings with a Russian crew...the Sergei brothers. They're bad guys and could very well be the reason that Carlos is missing or on the run."

"It would be a crazy kind of irony if by investigating this, we actually help bring Carlos back into Elena's life."

Running a hand over his face in frustration, Danny mumbled, "You have no idea."

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Breathing a quiet sigh of relief, Elena took one final look at Sophie before closing the door of the conference room. She'd taken great pains to gently explain to Sophie that everything would be okay, but she felt better about having Sophie at the office with her. So she'd gotten her daughter settled, doing her homework, and now she was going to do what she could to focus on work. The distraction would be welcome since her mind was racing with thoughts of what Danny would have to go through in the interrogation.

Entering the bullpen, Elena approached Sam at her desk. "I'm back. Sophie's here, but I can do some work on the case—"

Turning to face Elena, Sam shook her head. "Not necessary. Viv is on her way to talk our guy's family. Turns out, he's was in major debt to a loan shark in Jersey. He was on the run. It's in the hands of NYPD now."

"Good…I mean, bad for him, but good for us. Do you need me to help with anything? The paperwork?"

"No, I got it. Relax. How's Sophie?" Sam asked, voice full of concern.

Sighing heavily, Elena replied. "She's confused. I didn't want to tell her about Carlos. And I definitely don't want to tell her about Danny."

"Martin says that Danny is pretty sure that he's missing because of his drug connections. I think Martin is doing some background on that right now. Danny will be okay, Elena. He's got nothing to hide."

Realizing that Sam had no idea that Danny had indeed lied to her, Elena decided not to say anything. "Yeah, I just wish that he didn't have to go through any of this, but it's the price he pays for being involved with me and my crazy life."

Rising from her chair, Sam laid her hand on Elena's arm in an attempt to comfort her. "From what I know about Danny, and the changes I've seen in him since you've gotten closer, I think he'd say that he'd pay any price to be a part of your life and Sophie's. This will pass, Elena. And then maybe you can entertain the thought of accepting Danny's roundabout proposal," she said, giving Elena a small smile.

Elena reluctantly returned the smile. She'd completely forgotten that she'd told Samantha about Danny's idea of them moving away and becoming a family. "God, it seems like he and I talked about that ages ago, and it was just a few nights ago. A lot has changed since then, Sam," Elena replied sadly as she thought about Carlos's disappearance and Danny's deception.


	26. Chapter 26

"We want to search your apartment," Kwon said as he paced in front of Danny.

"As long you get a warrant, you can search whatever you want," Danny replied, trying to mask the uneasiness he felt with his tone.

Stopping, Kwon narrowed his eyes as he glared at Danny. "If you've got nothing to hide, then—"

"Don't you get it? You're wasting your time!" Danny yelled angrily as he stood up. "Carlos is probably half way to Mexico by now, or he's been taken out by any one of the scumbags that he was in business with. Take your pick, but I've got nothing to do with it. I wouldn't risk everything…EVERYTHING that's important to me just to get to Carlos. He's not worth it!"

"But he was the only thing getting in the way of you and Elena—"

"What good would it do for me to get rid of Carlos if it meant that I couldn't be with Elena anyway? The only reason he wouldn't leave her alone was because of me. You take me out the equation and she and Sophie would be safe. So the smart thing was for me to stay away from her and Sophie and, as far as Carlos was concerned, I was staying away from them. End of story, man. This is waste of time. Get your warrants…do whatever the hell you want, but we're done talking," Danny said as he walked to the door and opened it for Kwon and Feldman.

Jack rose as Kwon and Feldman walked toward the door. "This isn't over, Taylor," Feldman warned as he walked out with a glaring Kwon following close behind.

"Well, that went well," Jack mumbled as he approached Danny at the office door. "What are you going to do now?"

"I'm going to continue to look into the Sergei brothers. I'm going to do everything I can to figure out what the hell happened to Carlos after we saw each other that night."

Eyeing Danny skeptically, he asked, "What if Kwon gets the warrant? Is there a reason to be worried about that?"

Closing his eyes for a moment, Danny took a deep breath. He knew that a warrant would get Kwon the same information that Martin found, but he couldn't tell Jack that yet. "I've got nothing to hide, Jack."

Jacked nodded solemnly. "Good, um, Viv and Sam are wrapping up the latest case. You and Martin can work on the angles with Carlos. Let me know if there's anything I can do."

"Thanks, Jack," Danny responded as he walked out the door to head back to his desk.

Before Jack turned back to his desk, he heard a child's voice.

"Danny!" Sophie called out from the doorway of the conference room down the hall.

Jack watched as the child didn't hestitate to run toward Danny. As soon as Danny heard her, he kneeled down as she flew into his arms. Shaking his head, Jack retreated into his office. Watching the touching moment suddenly made him realize why Danny was doing all this...fighting so hard to make things work with Elena and doing everything he could to protect them from Carlos. Danny had found his family in Elena and Sophie. Remembering the truly glorious feeling of being adored by his own daughters, Jack finally got it. Danny had no choice but to move heaven and earth to make things work with them. Glancing at the photo of Hannah and Kate on his desk, Jack made a mental note to call his daughters that night.

* * *

Holding Sophie close, Danny greeted the small girl. "Hola chiquita, que pasa?"

"I was hoping you'd be here! Mami said that you were busy today, but--"

"Never too busy for you, mija," Danny interrupted as he released her so they were face to face. "So, are you getting your homework done?" he asked, nodding toward the conference room.

"It was easy. It's already done. Now I'm bored! You think we could go down and get some ice cream?" she asked, her eyes twinkling as she looked up at him.

Danny smiled as he started to respond, but was interrupted.

"Sophie, baby, you need to stay in the conference room," Elena called out as she approached them.

"Mami--" Sophie started to plead.

"Don't start, mamita. You can't run in these hallways...especially by yourself. Come on," Elena said as she guided Sophie back into the room.

Danny followed as he watched Sophie sit down on the couch, her face in full pout mode. He couldn't help but smile at the small girl. She looked so much like her mother when she wasn't happy.

"Can't Danny and I go get some ice cream, mami? Por favor?" Sophie asked.

Elena sighed as she quickly glanced at Danny. Just by the expression on her face, Danny knew she was hoping that he would somehow appease Sophie, so Elena wouldn't have to be the bad guy again. Getting the non-verbal message, Danny sat down next to Sophie. "Your mom and I have some work to do, mija. We need you to be a little patient and then, maybe we can order in a pizza for dinner. We can eat it right here in the conference room."

"Really? Here?"

"Absolutely, just give us a couple of hours," he said as he grabbed the remote control from the end table and clicked on the television mounted on the wall. "Now usually, we only get news channels on these TVs, but I've figured out how to bypass the lock on the channels so I think I can turn it to something you might want to watch. Hmm, let me see...what would Sophie like to watch? Sesame Street?" he suggested as he looked up at Elena.

Elena laughed, knowing that Sophie wouldn't let that pass.

Sophie quickly replied, "Danny! I'm not three! How about some Hannah Montana or, or Drake and Josh?"

"So no Sesame Street, huh? Okay then, let's see," he said as he flipped through the channels before finally hitting the Disney network. "How about this?"

"Perfect! It's High School Musical! I love this movie!" Sophie responded excitedly as she settled back onto the sofa.

"Good deal," Danny replied as he set the remote control down and stood up. Ruffling his hand through her hair, he said, "Now keep it on this channel. Don't turn it and we'll be back in an hour or so. Got it, mija?"

"Got it!" Sophie replied, her eyes focused on the TV.

Walking towards the door, Danny stepped to the side so Elena could walk out first as she called out to Sophie. "Thanks for being such a good girl, mamita." As they walked out of the conference room, Elena said, "Thanks for that."

"No problema. I have a feeling it's going to be a late night, and it might be a good idea if you guys stay here until we get a location on Carlos."

Nodding, Elena stopped as she turned to him and crossed her arms. "How was it with Kwon and Feldman?"

Danny shrugged. "It was what I expected. They'd rather waste their time focusing on me than looking at the people who actually could be responsible for whatever's happened to Carlos.

"What do you think has happened? Where do you think he is?"

"I think he hasn't had a legit job in months and he's had to support himself somehow. If he was willing to be on the take while he was a cop, what do think he'd be willing to do if he's desperate for money?"

"So you think--"

Before she could finish her question, Martin quickly approached them. "Danny, I tracked down Carlos's informant in the Sergei organization."

Frowning, Danny eyes traveled from Elena to Martin. "His informant? How? I didn't think Vice would play ball with us on this."

"They didn't, but the DEA was happy to help. They gave me access to some files related to a joint task force between the DEA and NYPD Vice. I found the CI's name in one of the files."

"You think he could know where Carlos is?" Elena chimed in.

"I think it's worth a shot to ask. I had a DEA agent contact him. He's willing to meet with us, but we have to go to him," Martin said as he turned toward Danny.

"Okay, let's go," Danny said.

"I want to be there, too," Elena said as she looked from Danny to Martin and then back to Danny with pleading eyes.

Martin and Danny exchanged an uneasy glance before Danny responded, "Elena, let us handle it. You're too close to this," Danny said as he nodded toward the conference room.

"So are you. They think you're involved in this...it doesn't get more personal than that."

"That's right, I'm the one who's being accused of something I didn't do," he responded as he glanced uneasily at Martin. Realizing he needed a moment alone with Elena, he directed his attention to Martin. "Can you give us a minute? I'll meet you downstairs in five."

"No problem," Martin replied as he gave Elena a reassuring nod before heading down the hall.

Carefully regarding Elena for a moment, Danny realized that she was still set on coming with them. "I screwed this up, Elena. I need to be the one to fix it. No matter what I say to you, you won't really believe that I had nothing to do with Carlos's disappearance until I prove otherwise."

"I want to believe you, but--"

"But what?"

"You lied to me. And...and...I think, you're hiding something," she answered in an uneasy, tortured tone. "You're not telling me everything."

Sighing heavily, Danny rubbed his eyes wearily before responding. "You're right. I haven't been completely honest. I can't tell you everything now, but I can assure you that I had nothing to do with whatever the hell has happened to him. Please trust me on that...and let me find him so I can fix this and we can move on. Whether we're together or not, I want you and Sophie to be safe. You won't be until we know where he is."

Biting her lip, Elena had to resist the urge to continue to fight him. His look resolved, she knew she wouldn't be able to win and she also knew that she had to focus on keeping Sophie safe. "You'll call me as soon as you and Martin find out anything?"

"I will. I promise, I will," Danny said as he started to back away from her. "Don't worry. This will all be over soon."

Nodding, Elena just replied, "Be safe."


	27. Chapter 27

On the drive to the deserted parking lot in Queens, Danny and Martin barely said a word to each other, other than to clarify a few directions here and there. Danny knew he had to say something, but wasn't exactly sure how to start. Taking a deep breath, he decided to start with the obvious.

"Thank you," he said, after releasing his breath. "Thanks for covering for me with Jack."

Shrugging, Martin glanced at him from the driver's seat. "I didn't have a much of a choice. I just hope you're sure about this Sergei angle and we find Carlos soon. Otherwise, Kwon will find the same thing I found and it will open you and your brother up to a whole lot of trouble."

Nodding, Danny squeezed his eyes closed for moment. "I don't know what I was thinking. It was completely stupid to involve Raffi."

"I'm sure you were only thinking of Elena and Sophie. I understand the motivation. I just worry about the consequences," Martin responded in a concerned tone.

As they approached the parking lot, they stopped talking and immediately started to survey the area. They didn't know anything about the informant they were meeting and wanted to be on alert in case something wasn't right.

Pulling into a parking spacing underneath the shade of a large tree, Martin put the car in park as he continued to crane his head around, looking for signs of the informant.

"It doesn't look like there's a soul within miles," Martin commented.

Also looking around, Danny shrugged. "Maybe he's on foot. What time did he say he'd meet us?"

After glancing at his watch, Martin looked in the rearview mirror and motioned behind him. "Right about now," he said as he noticed a young man approaching the car. Martin unlocked the back door as a kept one hand close to his gun as he knew Danny was doing as well.

Turning slightly in the passenger seat, Danny made eye contact with the young man as he slid into the back seat. Sizing him up quickly, Danny knew this kid was just a run of the mill drug runner, an errand boy for the Sergei brothers. Kids like this usually ended up with a bullet in their head before they turned eighteen.

"Emil Cortez?" Martin asked as he also sized the kid up through the rearview mirror.

"That's me, man," he answered as he shut the door and settled back into the seat.

"Agent Powers said you'd help us fill in the blanks on Carlos Aguilar's wherabouts," Martin stated.

Emil shrugged casually. "Yeah, I know Carlos. He's a good dude."

"Where is he?" Danny asked in a clipped tone.

Shrugging again, Emil smiled and looked at Danny knowingly. "You look like you know the drill. No pay, no play, hombre."

Martin rolled his eyes as Danny pulled some money out of his jacket pocket.

"That's cute," Danny responded dryly as he started to hand Emil a hundred dollar bill. As Emil reached for it, Danny retracted his hand so the money was out of reach. "This better be good, hombre."

Lunging slightly, Emil reached forward to grab the money. "I can find out where Carlos is, but what you really want to know is if my employers took him out, right?"

"That's a start," Danny replied. "Is Carlos alive?"

Emil nodded. "Mos def. He went on the down/low as soon as he found out the Sergeis were on to him. See Carlos told them that he could launder 250 G's for them, clean as a spring day. So Carlos is supposed to launder the money, then he gets 25 grand for his trouble. Only Carlos got the stupid idea that he could double the money without the Sergeis' finding out."

"How?" Martin asked.

"Carlos has connections all over the place. He made a deal with a Puerto Rican crew out of Baltimore. They bring in some high-grade smack using Carlos's….actually the Sergei's….money, then they sell it to the syndicate down there for double the money."

"Something tells me the Puerto Rican crew didn't hold up there end of the bargain," Danny said as the whole picture started to come together.

"You got it, man. They double-crossed Carlos. As soon as Carlos realized this, he knew he needed to disappear."

"So the Sergeis' ransacked his apartment?" Martin asked.

Emil nodded. "Someone in their crew did. They were looking for Carlos and the money, and didn't find either one."

Rubbing his chin as he tried to think through the whole scenario, Danny glanced at Emil again. "You said you could find out where he's hiding? Do you think he's left the city? Or the country?"

"I know he's trying to leave the country, but he's not having any luck. He can't access any of this old connections because the Sergeis would be able to track him. I don't know exactly where he is, but I can find him for you…for a price, of course."

Rolling his eyes again, Martin responded, "Of course. What do you want?"

"If I deliver Carlos to you, the Sergeis are going to figure out that I did it. It's just a matter of time, man."

"You want protection?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, protection. A new identity. You know, like they do in the movies."

Shaking his head, Martin smiled. "You give us Carlos, we'll deliver you to the DEA. If you give them enough on the Sergeis to get an indictment, then I'm sure they'll be happy to oblige you."

"Yeah, all right," Emil said as he started to open the car door. "You got a card or something, so I can hit you guys back later."

Danny reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his card. As he handed it to Emil, he gave him a warning look. "All we need is a location. If you tip Carlos off, he'll run again. And if he runs, I'll personally tip the Sergei's off about how helpful you've been to the local law enforcement. Got it?"

"Got it, hombre. No worries. You'll hear from me before the night ends," Emil said as he stepped out of the car and then shut the door.

As Martin watched Emil jog away through his rearview mirror, he asked, "You think he'll come through?"

"He sure as hell better. Kwon and Feldman will never believe that kid's story. And if we don't hear from him before Carlos leaves the country, I'm screwed."

* * *

After getting back to the office, Danny filled Elena in on what they'd found out from the informant. Hearing the latest information seemed to help restore Elena's trust in Danny, at least to some degree. Since all they could do was wait for the phone call from the informant, he and Elena decided to have dinner with Sophie in the conference room. Almost everyone in the office had gone home for the evening, except for Martin who was staying close by in case there was a break in the case. He joined them in the conference room to eat pizza, but then excused himself so he could finish some paperwork. After Martin left, Elena settled Sophie onto the couch. She sat at the end of the couch and rubbed Sophie's back as the little girl started to fall asleep. Danny sat in a chair across from them and told Sophie some silly story that his mother used to tell him. Before he could get very far, Sophie was fast asleep.

"You think it's a little strange that Sophie seems perfectly okay with taking refuge in an FBI conference room?" Elena asked suddenly as she kept her eyes focused on the sleeping girl.

Danny smiled softly. "I think she feels perfectly safe as long as she's with you...so whether that's in a conference room or a wherever, she's okay with it."

Returning the smile, Elena looked at him for a moment. As their eyes met, her smile faded. "Do you think this will be over soon?" she asked, her voice slightly cracking with emotion.

Noticing the tears coming to her eyes, Danny stood up quickly, walked over to where she was sitting and sat on the end of the couch next to her. "Yes, it will be over...soon," he replied in the most reassuring voice he could muster.

"To what end? Will Carlos go to prison? What?" she whispered, as she glanced at Sophie still fast asleep.

Danny nodded. "He's been breaking the law, not only for what he did to you and Sophie, but also for a whole host of things: money laundering, being connected to known drug cartels. Somewhere along the line, Carlos lost his way. I'm not sure why, but--"

"It's because of me," Elena cut him off. "When I left him, he thought if he had more money to build a life for us that I would come back to him. He didn't get it. It wasn't about where we lived. I couldn't rely on him. I couldn't--"

"He was on the take before you left him, Elena," Danny reminded her in a soothing tone.

"I know that, but--"

"But what? You don't have to take all the blame for this. I was his friend and I never knew what he was doing. I never saw it either. You can't look back, baby. It never pays. You're a great mother. You're protecting your child and that's all you can do. That's all you can do," he reiterated as he reached out and took her hand, his eyes looking deeply into hers.

Hearing his words, hearing him call her "baby", and feeling his eyes boring into her, Elena was overcome. With her free hand, Elena touched his cheek as they moved closer to each other.

Danny's lips parted, his face tilting as he moved even closer. He could almost taste her, she was so close and once again, just like the first time they kissed, they didn't seem to care where they were or who could possibly see them.

Just as she felt his lips brush against hers, Elena put her hand against his chest, gently pushed him away and looked down. "I can't do this...I can't do this, mi amor."

Feeling stung by her rejection, Danny shifted away from her, immediately feeling wounded and insecure, wanting to kick himself for once again misreading the situation. "What's wrong?"

Sighing heavily, Elena shrugged. "Earlier, you said something...you told me that you hadn't been honest with me. I just can't go down this road with you again until I know--"

"You lied to me, too, you know. You broke up with me and all the reasons you gave me were lies," Danny responded, knowing full well that his lie was worse, but feeling defensive anyway.

"I remember, but it doesn't change what I need to know now, Danny. If we're going to move forward and not look back, like you said, we need to be honest with each other."

Nodding, Danny leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees. Not looking at Elena, but looking straight ahead, he thought about that morning that he drove to see Raffi. The morning that could have started a horrible chain of events had it not been for Raffi helping him see the light. "I, um, I almost did something...something really horrible," he started, trying find the best way to confess. As he tried to search for his next words, he heard the low, vibrating sound of his cell phone coming from his jacket that was slung over a chair. Taking a deep breath, Danny glanced at Elena apologetically as he rose and then took the cell phone out of his jacket pocket.

"Taylor," he answered.

At first, he didn't hear anything more than static in the background. "Taylor," he said again, louder this time.

"We need to talk," the familiar voice said on the other end of the line.

Danny's breath caught as he met Elena's curious eyes. He immediately recognized the voice as Carlos.


	28. Chapter 28

A/N - Thanks for the reviews. They keep me motivated to see this fic through!

* * *

Before Danny could say anything or let Elena know who was on the phone, Carlos spoke again. "If you tell anyone that I'm calling, then you'll never see me again. And more importantly? If I'm gone, Elena and Sophie are as good as dead," he stated ominously.

Hearing these words sent a chill down Danny's spine. The tone in Carlos's voice was dead serious. Doing his best to hide his shock and concern from Elena, he gave her a small smile as he covered the mouthpiece of the phone. "It's Sylvia. She's having some crisis with Nicky. I'll go in the hall so I don't wake up Sophie," he whispered, before turning and walking out the door.

As soon as the door closed and Elena was out of earshot, Danny spoke. "What the hell is going on? Where are you?"

"Emil told you what's going on. I'm in a lot of trouble and I need to disappear, but…" he trailed off, his voice cracking with emotion.

"But what? What about Elena and Sophie?"

"Emil overheard them talking, the Sergeis. If they don't get the money back, they're going to kill Elena and Sophie before they come after me. Where are they, man? I went by Elena's tonight, but all the lights were off. Where are they?"

Sighing in heavy frustration, he responded, "They're safe. They're in a safe place. When you were reported missing, Elena wanted to make sure that you weren't planning something again."

"Good…good, and I mean good that they're safe. You'll keep them safe. I know you will."

"I can't keep them safe forever, especially if you disappear and the Sergeis decide to make good on their threat against them. Carlos, you have to give yourself up, man. You have to come in, tell the DEA everything, and they'll put you in protective custody," Danny pleaded.

"They'll put me in prison, Danny."

"Not necessarily. If you give them enough on the Sergeis, they'll work with you. But if what you've done leads to something bad happening to Elena or Sophie, then you're a dead man either way," Danny stated resolutely, both knowing that Danny would seek revenge himself if he had to.

Carlos sighed heavily. "I don't want anything to happen to them. I love them. You know that."

Nodding, Danny responded, "I know." Even though Danny knew it was an unhealthy, obsessive love. "Tell me where you are, Carlos. I'll come get you and we'll work all this out," he said in a calm, even tone as he looked into the bullpen area and made sure Martin was still there, knowing he'd want to take Martin with him as backup.

"Yeah, yeah, okay," Carlos replied in almost a whisper. "I'll tell you, but you have to promise me something, mi hermano."

Rolling his eyes, Danny resisted the urge to tell Carlos they were far from "hermanos" after all he'd done to him and Elena. But knowing he had to play the game to get Carlos in custody, he asked, "What?"

"I only trust you right now. You have to come alone. If I see anyone else with you, I'm going to take off. No Elena. No Malone. No one. Got it?"

"Why the hell should I trust you? How do I know you're not going to put a bullet in my head as soon as you see me?"

"I'm not going to kill the only person who can keep Elena and Sophie safe. This is bigger than some custody fight or…or me being pissed because my woman moved on with my friend. This is about life and death, mi hermano. I promise, you can trust me."

* * *

Danny slowly pulled up to the run-down building in Harlem. After putting the car in park and turning it off, Danny got out and immediately unholstered his gun as he started to walk to the door.

Swallowing hard, he opened it, raised his gun and entered the building. Carlos told him to go to the second floor, so he started up the stairs while on high alert for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. His heart beginning to beat wildly, Danny made his down the hall and then approached the first door on the left. Taking a deep breath, he stood to the side of the door and knocked three times, while keeping a firm grip on his gun. At first, he heard nothing, but right as he was about to knock again, he heard the chain being removed and the door creaking open. Glancing to his right and aiming his gun, Danny turned to confront Carlos. As the door opened wider, a look of surprise suddenly crossed Danny's face. Before he could react, he felt a sharp pain against neck as he lost balance and everything faded to black.


	29. Chapter 29

Please note: Sorry for the confusion on this chapter. I had some editing issues, but I think it's all correct now.

Martin anxiously fiddled with his earpiece to make sure it was working. Danny had been virtually silent since he first pulled away from the curb after he and Martin had convened at the street corner down the block from where Carlos was supposed to be. Hearing Danny's account of his telephone conversation with Carlos had made Martin nervous. It seemed strange that Carlos was adamant about Danny coming alone if all he wanted to do was give himself up. Martin would have assumed that Carlos would want as many agents and police officers as possible to make sure the Sergeis couldn't take him out. This made Martin concerned about what Danny was getting himself into. He was just thankful that Danny hadn't decided to do this on his own, but instead immediately came to Martin to ask for help.

"You hear anything from him yet? Our earpieces just came into range." Martin heard Jack ask in his earpiece. Jack and Vivian had just pulled up after Danny had entered the apartment building.

After Danny had told Martin about Carlos's call, Martin convinced him to let him call Jack to coordinate more back-up. Martin knew that Danny wanted to handle it on his own and especially not involve Jack after what had happened after Sophie's kidnapping, but Danny also knew that Carlos was unpredictable at best and the most important thing was that Carlos be taken into custody.

So Jack and Vivian took their places on the opposite end of the block, while Samantha was covering the back alley with a couple of patrol cars. The only agent not involved was Elena. For the moment, Jack had agreed with Danny that she should not be involved especially considering the threat Carlos had told Danny about.

"Nothing yet," Martin answered as he kept his eyes trained on the front of the apartment building.

Just as he answered Jack, Martin heard three hard knocks. Assuming that Danny was knocking on Carlos's door, Martin leaned forward waiting to hear Carlos's response.

But Martin didn't hear anything at first. Instead, he heard some kind of strange buzzing background noise followed by a loud thud.

"What happens now?" a voice called out, although it was so faint through his earpiece that Martin couldn't decipher if the voice was Danny's or Carlos's.

"You die," a unmistakeably, heavy-accented voice replied and then Martin heard two gunshots fired.

Shuddering at the sound, Martin yelled, "Oh God! Shots fired! Shots fired! "Go….go….go," he yelled as he put the car in park and gunned the gas. Within seconds, his car was in front the building. Quickly exiting his car, he called out again, "Sam, make sure you have the back covered! I'm going in the front door."

"Got it," he heard Sam reply.

"We're right behind you, Martin," Jack called out as he pulled up with Vivian and they both got out of the car.

After they quickly, but strategically rushed in the door, Martin glanced up the stairwell to see if the coast was clear. As soon as he looked up, he caught site of a hooded figure aiming his gun at them. "Gun! Down! Get down!" he yelled.

They all took cover as a bullets came flying down the stairwell. After the first barrage, Jack positioned himself to get a few shots off. As soon as he started shooting, the hooded figure took off. When he was out of sight, Martin, Vivian and Jack made their way up the stairs being very careful to cover each other.

"Sam? Sam? You see anything back there?" Jack asked.

"No! Nothing! Should we come in?" he heard her respond in his ear piece.

"Stay put, but stay covered. There's a shooter in the building, for sure," he finished as they made their way to the second floor.

Martin moved through the hallway, his breath catching as he caught sight of blood seeping out of the doorway that Danny was supposed to have entered. But he kept focused on clearing the hallway, as Jack entered the door where the blood was coming from.

"Clear!" Martin called out as he paced to the end of the hallway.

"Clear!" Vivian responded from the other end of the hallway.

Martin walked quickly back to the door where Jack had entered. As he approached the door, he heard Jack yell, "Clear", signaling that the apartment was empty, except for the body laying by the front door. Leaning down, Martin immediately realized it wasn't Danny as he turned the body over to check for a pulse. As he placed his fingers on the neck, Martin gasped slightly, "Christ," he muttered.

"What?" Jack asked as he approached him. "Who is it?"

"Emil Cortez, the informant we talked to this morning," Martin answered solemnly. "He's dead."

"Sam...Sam...do you see anything down there?" Jack and Martin heard Viv call out through their earpieces.

"No. Nothing! What the hell is going on up there?"

"Listen, Sam," Viv directed. "Take the units and go to the side alley of the building. It looks like there's a service elevator that goes down to a parking structure below the building. You need to find the entrance to that structure. That's the only way the shooter got out of here. Maybe Danny chased him down there, but I can't get the elevator to work. They must have jammed it up."

"Martin, go with Viv. See if you can get down to that parking level. I'll call this in," Jack ordered.

"Got it," Martin said as he stood up. "I'll be there in a second," he said to Viv so she could hear through her earpiece.

After Martin hurried away, Jack called the EMT and then squatted down to see if there was anything on Emil Cortez that could tell him what had happened. As he carefully search Emil's pockets, Jack's eyes came to rest on Emil's face. In the corner of his mouth, it looked like there was piece of paper hanging out of it. Jack grabbed a latex glove from his pocket and put it on. Then he carefully removed the paper using his finger tips. Straightening out what appeared to be a business card, Jack sighed heavily as he read the name on the familiar card: Special Agent Danny Taylor.

* * *

_Feeling his arms encircle her waist, Elena relaxed her body against his as she laid her head against his chest. Their bodies swayed in time with the music as they danced in the middle of her living room.This was something Elena never imagined herself doing with Danny Taylor, but now being with him like this felt like the most natural thing in the world._

_She felt his hand rub circles on the small of her back as he gently kissed her neck._

_Tilting her head up, Elena rose on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his. Kissing him...Danny...had become her favorite thing to do, his lips always welcoming and warm._

_"I love you," she said after their lips parted for a moment._

_Pressing his forehead to hers, Danny smiled, but didn't say anything in response._

_Elena stopped dancing as she looked up at him. "What is it, mi amor?"_

_Danny still didn't speak, instead he put his arms tightly around her and pulled her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck._

_Taking a deep breath, Elena felt overwhelmed by the closeness, then suddenly his touch felt different. His hands grabbed roughly at her as she felt him hungrily kissing...biting her neck. Then a smell invaded her nostrils...tequila...definitely never a smell she's ever associated with Danny. Pulling herself out of his grasp, Elena faced him...and her breath caught at the sight of Carlos before her. As she tried to pull away from him, he roughly grabbed her arms and covered her mouth with his._

_Feeling sick, Elena pulled one her arms free and hit him as hard as she could. "Get the hell away from me! Where's Danny? What happened--"_

_"You and Danny are over, querida. He's gone. You're never going to see him again!" Carlos yelled as he roughly grabbed her again._

_With all her strength, Elena tried to fight him...to push him away. Closing her eyes, she pushed with all her might._

Darting up quickly, Elena was practically hyperventillating as she tried to catch her breath. Looking around, she was able to calm herself when she realized she was still in the FBI conference room, laying next to Sophie on the sofa. Rubbing the tears out her eyes, Elena sat up and moved away from Sophie. Then she stood up and walked out of the conference room. Checking her watch, she noted it was 2 a.m. She found it strange that Danny hadn't woken her to tell her that he was going home, but shrugging she walked down the hall to the ladie's room.

In the ladie's room, Elena splashed some cold water on her face and then removed the remnants of her mascara with a paper towel. As she wiped her eyes, her memory flashed to the night that she and Danny had first kissed during that seedy undercover operation. After putting a sleeping Sophie in the car, he had gently rubbed a smudge of mascara on her face. It was the tiniest of gestures, but looking back, Elena knew it had more meaning than she had realized at the time.

Walking out of the bathroom. Elena frowned and stopped in her tracks when she noticed the flurry of activity in the office. Vivian and Samantha were in the bullpen while Jack was speaking with someone from the crime scene team in the hallway.

"What's up, Jack?" Elena asked, as she approached him after the crime scene investigator walked away.

"Elena...uh...come in," he said quietly as he ushered her into his office.

"Jack, what is it? A case? Where are Danny and Martin?"

"Martin's out in the field. Danny, uh, Danny..."

"What? What Jack? Where's Danny?" Elena ask, voice sounding panicked.

"He got a call...from Carlos--" Jack practically wincing at having to talk to her.

Her eyes widening in surprise, Elena ran a hand through her hair. "Carlos! Carlos called? What happened? Why didn't he tell--"

"Carlos told Danny that you and Sophie were in danger. He said that the Sergeis might be after you to get back at him. So Danny...we...didn't want to involve you."

"Involve me in what, Jack? Where the hell is Danny?" Elena yelled.

Sam and Vivian walked into the office as Elena practically started to fall apart. Rushing over to her, Vivian put a hand on her shoulder to steady her. "Carlos told Danny that he'd surrender to him," Vivian explained in a soothing tone.

"Oh God...he didn't try to do it on his own--"

"No, no," Sam interrupted. "Danny played it by the book. He brought Martin for back-up and Martin called us. We were all there, but..." Sam trailed off, her voice betraying her emotion.

Watching the tears come to Sam's eyes, Elena's heart sank and she looked at Jack again. "Danny...where is he? Please Jack!"

"We don't know," Jack answered in a barely audible tone, sounding almost ashamed.

"Something happened...something we can't even explain yet," Vivian said. "We thought we had all the exits covered, but --"

Before Vivian couldn't finish, a cell phone rang. They all checked their phones. Elena frowned when she saw it was her phone. After opening it, she answered, "Delgado."

"Hey baby."

Elena's breath caught as she looked at Jack. "C-Carlos?"

"That's right. I'm just calling to let you know that...that..."

"What?" she asked impatiently as she clicked the speaker phone on her cell so they all could hear. She wanted to ask him where Danny was, but she didn't want him to hang up on her.

"That I love you and I love Sophie very much, but that was never enough for you. So now I'm leaving the country. You'll never have to deal with me again. I'll miss Sophie like crazy, but I don't have a choice anymore. If I stay, I'll never be free again and I won't see her anyway. If you just would have listened and loved me like I loved you, then none of this would have happened."

"Carlos, listen to me, I'll try to help you...I'll try--"

"You're lying. You wanted me to disappear so you and Danny can finally be together. Well, baby, I'm going to disappear now, but you and Danny will never be a happy familia. The Sergei brothers will make sure of that!"

"What...what are you talking about? Where is he?" she finally asked as she looked up at Jack, Sam and Vivian, their expressions showing the shock and fear that she felt.

A chill went down Elena's spine when she heard Carlos laugh, a deep, sinister laugh as he responded to her. "I have no idea where he is. After the Sergeis are done with him, chances are, you'll never find his body. That's the way they work, and now that they think he was my partner in the money-laundering scheme...they're going to keep him alive while they try to get him to tell them where the money is, and when they realize he has know idea where it is, they'll put a bullet in his head. But he'll suffer...he'll suffer the way I've suffered without you and Sophie in my life."

"Carlos...Carlos, please...don't do this," Elena cried, losing control. "This is Danny. He was your friend. We love...I love him, Carlos. Don't do this. Tell us where he is," she pleaded.

Carlos's laugh turned to a cold silence.

"Carlos! Carlos!" Elena screamed.

But the line had gone dead.

* * *

A/N - Ahhh, more drama! Sorry. I never, ever thought this fic would be over 30 chapter, but it looks like I still have a few left! Thanks for hanging in there!


	30. Chapter 30

**Note: I hate that I haven't updated. I'm so sorry to all of you who have been so faithful to this story. I will finish it, but I can't promise a time frame. Hopefully, in the next month or so. There's only a couple of chapters left. **

* * *

**2:30 a.m., 2 hours missing**

As Elena crumpled to the floor, Vivian knelt down and gently put her hand on Elena's shoulder as she took the cell phone from Elena's hand. After handing the telephone to Jack, Vivian did her best to comfort the inconsolable woman.

Jack took the cell phone as he immediately dialed the tech room. "Hey, I need a trace on this number: 555-3241. The call just ended. We need to know where it came from ASAP." Hanging up his phone, Jack looked up at Sam who was standing there, still stunned, as she watched Viv trying to calm Elena.

"Sam...Sam," Jack called out.

Finally meeting his eyes, she responded, "Yeah."

"Put out stop notices at every airport and immigration checkpoint. If he's calling Elena, Carlos may still be in the country. We have to try to get to him before he disappears again."

Nodding, Sam finally seemed to engage. "I'll do it right now," she said as she gave Elena one more glance before putting her phone to her ear as she walked out the door.

As he watched Sam walk out, Jack moved around to the front of the desk. "Elena, Elena....look at me. We're going to find him, but we have to get to work. Martin is on the trail of the van. We think the Sergeis somehow disabled Danny and got him down to a parking garage. A white van was spotted leaving the garage. Martin's tracking it. But they haven't killed him. If they had, they would have dumped his body before taking off. We will find him," Jack pleaded, trying to convince Elena and also needing to convince himself as well.

Looking up at him with tears streaming down her face, Elena finally spoke, "He may be alive now, but they'll kill him as soon as they realize he doesn't have the money. They'll kill him, Jack!"

As calmly as possible, Viv interjected, "That's why we have to get to work. Danny's smart and he knows we're looking for him. . He'll know to string the Sergeis along to give us enough time to find him. Come on, Elena. Let's get up and take the next step. Danny is counting on us."

After hear Viv's words, Elena nodded as she wiped her eyes. "You're right. You're both right," she agreed as she and Vivian both stood up. "What's next? What should I do?"

Jack sighed heavily as he looked at Vivian. "I need you to find everything there is on the Sergeis. Everything," Jack ordered.

"Will do," Viv replied as she squeezed Elena's shoulder in support and then left the office.

"I'm going to call Martin to tell him what just happened," Jack said as he picked up the phone.

"What' about me, Jack? What can I do?" Elena asked. "I could catch up with Martin in the field and--"

"No way," Jack interrupted. "You need to stay here with Sophie--"

"Jack! Come on!"

"Elena, you're in danger. Carlos told Danny that you and Sophie are in danger. That's why Danny went to bring him in. You have to stay here, but you can call every contact you have that may know where Carlos would go. Anyone...even Detective Kwon. Call him. Tell him what happened. Hopefully, he'll finally believe that Carlos set this whole thing up. When Kwon gets here, let me know. You and I will talk to him together."

Elena's instinct was to fight Jack, but she knew she didn't have a choice and she'd just be wasting more time that they need to find Danny.

"Okay," she said as she started to walk out. As she opened the door, she turned back to face him. "I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that all of this has happened."

"We will find him, Elena. We will."

As Jack watched Elena turn and leave his office, he dialed Martin's number.

"Fitzgerald," Martin answered.

"Hey, we just heard from Carlos," Jack responded, cutting to the chase. "This was a set-up from the word go. Not only do the Sergeis have Danny, but Carlos has lead them to believe that Danny was involved with laundering and stealing the money."

"Christ!" Martin muttered. "That's not good."

"No, it's not. Do you have anything new?" Jack asked.

"We found the van. They must have switched cars. CSU is going through it now, but there is blood and we found Danny's ID, phone and gun. We have tech working on seeing if satellite or traffic cams can pick up the trail, but so far, nothing.

Jack sighed heavily. "All right, uh, stay on that. We're going to find out everything we can about the Sergeis."

"What about Carlos?" Martin asked, his voice full of disdain.

"If he tries to leave the country, we'll stop him but right now, he's not our priority. Danny's our priority."

"Yeah, I'll stay on it."

After ending the call with Martin, Jack walked quickly to the bullpen. "Sam," he called out. "What do you have?"

"Carlos used a burner phone. There's no trace. His mug shot has been faxed and e-mailed to every port and airport along the Eastern seaboard. So far, there's no sign of him."

"Doesn't surprise me. It seems like he's got all of this planned to the letter."

Samantha nodded. "Maybe, maybe we shouldn't have let him go in...or at least not go in alone," she remarked sadly, clearly thinking of Danny.

Taking a moment, Jack rubbed his eyes. "We thought we had him covered. And Danny was set on finishing this thing with Carlos. We just have to focus on finding him now."

"Do you want me to stay on Carlos?"

Jack shook his head. "No, we'll let the locals and border control handle Carlos. Call Martin. He may need you to coordinate some satellite tracking with Tech. They ditched the van and changed cars."

"Any sign of Danny in the car?" Viv asked as she walked into the bullpen carrying a stack of file folders.

Turning to Vivian, he watched her sit down at the center table and open one of the folders. "They left his gun and ID behind. Looks like they wanted to rub our noses in it. They have to know we're onto them, especially since the shooter saw us there. What do you have?" Jack inquired as he motioned to the folders in front of her.

"Danny actually did most of the research on the Sergeis while he was looking for Carlos," she responded as her eyes quickly scanned the first few pages. "Oh my God," she whispered as her eyes trained in on a transcript of a witness's deposition.

"What is it?" Jack asked as he pulled a chair out and sat down next to her.

Sam also stopped in her tracks to give Viv her full attention.

"A DEA informant gave a deposition two years ago. He, uh, he gave an account of...of..." Viv trailed off, not able to finish speaking as she tried to stop her eyes from tearing up.

Reaching out, Jack gently took the file from her. After quickly reading the statement, he glanced up at Samantha. Judging by the look on her face, he wasn't sure she really wanted to know what it said. "Torture," Jack whispered. "The informant gave testimony on watching a traitor in the Sergei organization being tortured. The victim had to be identified by dental records when his body was finally found. They burned him."

Sam's hand covered her mouth, almost as though she were trying to stop herself from being sick. "Why...why weren't they prosecuted? Why--"

"The informant disappeared a few days after giving the deposition," Viv answered, finally regaining her composure. "The U.S. Attorney hasn't brought the case to trial. They're in the process of working with the DEA to build a stronger case."

"Jack, we have to--"

"We will, Sam. Just call Martin. See what you can do to help him," Jack interrupted gently as he tried to sound as encouraging as possible.

Sam nodded as she turned to return to her desk.

"As hard as it is, I need you to keep reviewing those. Focus on finding places...places they own or places that someone they deal with owns. They would have had to have taken Danny somewhere--"

"Kwon is on his way in," Elena interrupted as she walked up to the table.

As soon as Jack heard her voice, he quickly closed the file and slid it back to Vivian.

Vivian glanced up at Elena, but then quickly looked away, remembering that there had been tears in her eyes.

"What is it? What's wrong, Viv?" Elena asked, her voice concerned as her eyes drifted over to the files in front of Vivian.

"Nothing," Viv responded quickly as she wiped her eyes once more. "I'm just...I'm fine. Are you and Jack going to talk to Kwon?"

"Yeah," Jack said as he stood up and addressed Elena. "Come on, we should discuss how we'll interview Kwon when he gets here. He could have valuable information on the Sergei's without even realizing it."

Still distracted by Vivian's obvious emotion, Elena just nodded as she slowly turned to follow Jack out of the bullpen.

**7:30 a.m. 7 hours missing**

Wearily rubbing his eyes, Martin held the elevator door as he let Samantha off the elevator first. They'd basically been up for 24 hours, spending the last five hours combing every inch of every piece of property that the Sergei's owned. Satellite tracking had helped in the beginning, giving them a basic direction to go in, but it hadn't given them enough information. Samantha had joined him in the field and they both went from building to building, but they couldn't find anything. With each passing hour, they became more and more frustrated and more and more scared.

As they passed one of the conference rooms, they stopped when they saw Elena sitting at a table with Sophie. Sophie was eating breakfast, while watching some cartoon on the television. Elena appeared as though she was putting on a brave face in front of the child, but then she looked up and locked eyes with Martin. As soon as she did, she stood up quickly. Leaning down, she gave Sophie a quick kiss on her forehead and then said something to her.

"I'll go update Jack and Viv," Sam said sadly, as she lightly patted Martin's arm. "If you want, you can bring Elena in to Jack's office. We can update them together. It might be easier--"

Shaking his head, Martin replied, "I'll talk to her. I'll try to be as optimistic as I can. You should probably give Jack the full scoop, which means telling him we're no closer to finding Danny than we were five hours ago."

"Yeah," Sam whispered as she turned away towards Jack's office.

"Martin, tell me," Elena said as she walked out of the conference room and quickly shut the door so Sophie wouldn't hear.

"I'll fill you in. Let's go get some coffee, though. I'm running on empty," he said as he put his hand on her back to lead her to the break room. "How's Sophie? Does she have any idea?"

"No. She just woke up. I don't know what to tell her. Please tell me you found something..."

Martin stopped in front of the coffee pot and took a paper cup from the stack. Letting out a small sigh, he responded as he filled the cup with coffee. "We haven't found anything. Wherever they took Danny, it's not affiliated with any building they own or any of their cohorts own. Sam and I came back here to regroup, but we'll head back out in a few minutes. NYPD is still searching, though. They couldn't have gotten very far."

"It's been almost eight hours, Martin. They could be anywhere."

Shaking his head, Martin turned to her as a took a sip of the hot coffee. "No way. They want their money or they want to find Carlos. I'm thinking Danny has to know that by now."

"But Carlos said that when they're done with him, we'll never find him," Elena cried in a panicked-strickened voice. "I mean--"

Putting down his coffee, Martin put his hands on her shoulders. "Elena, listen to me. We're going to find him. Danny's smart. He's a survivor. We will find him."

Gaining strength from Martin's tone and resolve, Elena nodded as she wiped a couple of tears from her eyes. "You're right. I know you're right."

As Elena regained her composure, Martin let go of her and picked up his coffee. "How did the interview with Kwon go?" he asked as he took at seat at the table.

Sitting down across from him, Elena shrugged. "Well, he believes us now...he knows that Carlos set this whole thing up, but he didn't know anything about Carlos's ties to the Sergei's. He said that he'd look into it, go over some of their old files and see if he can find anything to help us."

"That's good. Any little bit will help," Martin responded as he took another drink of coffee.

"You know when I was talking to Kwon earlier, I couldn't help but think about yesterday. I feel so awful that I actually thought Danny was capable--"

"Danny understood. Don't beat yourself up about it. He was being evasive. It was hard not to think the worst."

As soon as the words came of his mouth and he saw the questioning look in Elena's eyes, Martin regretted saying it. But it was too late.

"You know, don't you? You know what Danny was hiding? Yes?" she asked, leaning forward with a pleading look.

"It doesn't matter now. Now that we know Carlos was behind everything, it doesn't matter."

"It matters to me. Danny was going to tell me. He was going to come clean, but then you found the new lead on Carlos. I need to know, Martin."

Sighly heavily, Martin leaned forward slightly as he looked around to make sure no one was around. "He was trying to figure out a way to keep you and Sophie safe. After Carlos confronted him at his apartment, he felt desperate. After you left him that night, Danny went to see his brother."

"Rafi?" she asked, completely confused.

Martin nodded. "All Danny wanted was for Carlos to go away...to leave you alone...and to keep Rafi safe. So Danny thought Rafi could give him a name--"

"Oh my God," Elena said as she covered her mouth. "No--"

"But Rafi set Danny straight, Elena. He didn't even give Danny a chance to ask the question. All Danny needed was someone to give him direction, to get him back on track, and that's what Rafi did. So Danny left there not thinking about doing anything to Carlos. He was just going to focus on helping you any way he could."

"But then why did Danny seem..." Elena paused, searching for the right words.

"Guilty?" Martin asked. "Because it's Danny. He felt bad about just having the thought. But he'd never go through with something like that. It's not in him, Elena."

"I know," she agreed as she let out a gentle sob. "God, Martin, what have I let happen to him? This is all my fault."

* * *

**8:00 a.m., 8 hours missing**

"We need more man power!" Jack barked into the phone. "He's been missing eight hours and God knows what's happening to him right now. I need to know that I have your full support here."

Jack sighed heavily as he listened to SAC Olcyk on the other end of the line. Hearing a knock on his door, he looked up and waved Martin in to his office.

"Yeah, thanks. Just let me know if they can spare anyone," Jack said, before putting the phone back on the receiver. "Beaurocratic B.S. We have an agent missing, for chrissakes!"

"I'm about to head back out. Sam, Viv and I are going to lead three different teams. Viv found a few more possible locations."

"She told me," Jack responded. "Hopefully, something will break this morning. How's Elena? Sam said you were going to talk to her."

"She's in with Sophie right now. Then she's going to get back on the phones to try to track down a lead. She's hanging in there, but she thinks this is all her fault."

Jack grunted as he shook his head. "This is the work of one man, and right now if I saw him? I swear I'd blow his head off. And don't think I'm not kicking myself now for stopping Danny from taking Carlos out. This is...this is all unbelievable. If anything happens to him--" before he could finish the statement, his cell phone rang.

Picking up the phone from his desk, he pressed talk. "Malone."

"Jack...Jack..." a voice responded weakly.

"Danny?" Jack asked, immediately looking at Martin with panicked, but hopeful eyes. "Danny, is that you?"


	31. Chapter 31

Notes: Again, I'm sorry for the delay! I can't promise anything anymore, except that I will finish this eventually. So just stick with it. This chapter is mostly a flashback. The part that isn't a flashback takes place about an hour earlier than that last chapter. It will be clear as you read the chapter. Hope you enjoy.

Warning: There's some bad language and a little violence towards the end.

* * *

_7 a.m., 7 hours Missing_

_Eight Years Ago_

_Carrying a banker's box, Danny walked into the NYPD Vice unit. Vivian had "borrowed" a box full of old records to help them track down their latest missing person. The only stipulation was that she return them after she was finished. After they'd found the missing guy, it was late in the day and Danny knew Vivian was hoping that she wouldn't, once again, miss Reggie's basketball game. So he volunteered to return the box for her. His instinct was to give her a hard time about it, but after seeing the grateful look on her face, he just told her it was no problem at all. _

_Even thought he'd done a good deed, he wasn't thrilled about taking the detour on his way home, but it did give him an opportunity to catch up with an old friend. Approaching the records desk, Danny smiled at the attendant as he showed her his badge. "Special Agent Taylor, FBI. I'm returning these. Agent Johnson checked them out earlier today."_

_The young woman manning the records desk returned his smile as she coyly replied, "Agent Taylor, huh? I can help you with that. I'll just need your signature right here." Handing him a clipboard, her eyes twinkled with interest. "My name's Jennie, by the way."_

_"I can see that," Danny replied as he motioned to her nametag pinned to the breast pocket of her uniform. "Nice to meet you, Jennie," he finished, unable to stop the charm from creeping into his tone. As he signed his name, he asked, "Do you happen to know if Detective Aguilar is working today?"_

_"Carlos? Sure he is. You know him?" she asked._

_"Yeah, I just thought I'd catch up with him while I'm in the neighborhood. He still sit around the corner?" Danny inquired as he put the pin down and looked up at Jennie. _

_"Yep, right over there," she motioned. "It was nice to meet you Agent Taylor."_

_Danny smiled and gave her little wink as he backed away. "Thanks for your help."_

_Rounding the corner, Danny smiled as he caught sight of his old friend sitting at his desk, struggling to type something on his computer. "I didn't think Vice cops even knew how to turn on a computer," he joked as he approached Carlos from behind. _

_Laughing, Carlos pushed away from his desk as he looked up. "Ahh...Danny, mi amigo, still a smartass!" he exclaimed, standing up to give Danny a quick hug. "It's good to see you, man!"_

_"You, too, Carlito. Que pasa?"_

_"Oh, Danny, man...have I got some news--"_

_"Carlos! I've been waiting--" an irritated voice with a heavy accent called out from behind them, but stopped suddenly._

_Danny turned to see who the voice belonged to and was pleasantly surprised. In a word, she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. Long black hair, light mocha skin, deep brown eyes and a body liked he'd never seen. She was wearing a short skirt, a midriff-baring halter and high heels that showed off her legs. _

_"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt," the woman apologized as her eyes met Danny's._

_"It's okay," Danny responded, almost mesmerized. _

_"Danny Taylor, I'd like you to meet Elena Delgado," Carlos said. "Elena's on the Decoy squad, as you can probably tell," he explained as he motioned to her revealing attire. _

_Rolling her eyes, Elena held out her hand. "Yes, you'll have to excuse me. I was just on a job. You're the "FBI Danny", right? Carlos has mentioned you."_

_"Yeah, that's me," Danny as he took her hand in his for a handshake. "It's nice to meet you. And don't believe anything he's told you about me."_

_Elena smiled. "Don't worry. I take everything he says with a grain of salt," she answered as she motioned to Carlos. _

_"Hey, be nice...both of you," Carlos interjected. "So what was this about 'waiting'?" he asked, referring to Elena's dramatic entrance. _

_"Oh...it's...it's nothing," she replied, obviously not waiting to make a big deal in front of Danny. "I just thought you were going to pick me up downtown. When you didn't show, I took a cab."_

_"Oh baby, I totally forgot. I got busy, you know? Lo siento, mi amor," Carlos said as he affectionately put his hand against Elena's back. _

_Just with that one exchange, Danny's heart deflated a little. It's was now completely obvious that Elena was Carlos's girlfriend. _

_"No problema," Elena replied. "But I do want to head home. Are you about ready?"_

_"Oh baby...Danny's here. I was thinking we could all go get a drink."_

_"Carlos, no, we don't have to--" Danny started to object, seeing that Elena was ready to get out of there. _

_Looking up at him, Elena interrupted, "Actually, it's okay. We can go."_

_"You sure? Danny and I could just go on our own."_

_Elena shrugged. "No, I'll...I'll go for a little while. I'd just need to change, though."_

_"You really don't, baby," Carlos said, "You look smoking."_

_"Carlos," Elena cautioned in an annoyed tone. "Maybe we could just stop by--"_

_"No, no, no. I have a better idea," Carlos said, reaching into a gym bag under his desk. "Here," he said, handing her a hooded sweat jacket. "That'll cover you up. We're just going to Smitty's across the street."_

_A few minutes later, they were on their way to the bar across from the precinct. _

_As they walked past the records desk, Danny heard a familiar voice. "Bye, Danny!"_

_Nodding to Jennie, the records officer, he replied. "Good night."_

"_Yeah, night Jennie," Carlos replied and then said loud enough for her to hear. "Funny thing, she never says goodbye to the rest of us when we leave."_

_They made it over to the bar and were seated in a booth: Danny on one side and Elena and Carlos on the other. Just as they got seated, the waitress came to take their orders. _

"_What can I get you tonight?" she asked, looking to Elena to start. _

"_Um, I'll just…I'll just have a ginger ale," Elena replied in a quiet tone. _

"_And you sir?" the waitress asked, addressing Danny. _

"_Club soda with lime," Danny answered. _

"_And I'll have a Jack with a beer," Carlos chimed in. After the waitress nodded and walked away, Carlos leaned forward as he rolled his eyes. "Between the two of you, I feel like a lush."_

"_Danny, I hope you didn't order club soda because I didn't order a drink," Elena said, obviously thinking it a little strange that Danny wasn't drinking with his old buddy Carlos. "You don't—"_

"_Don't worry, baby," Carlos interrupted. "Danny here is as sober as Sunday suit. I've never seen him take a drink of anything stronger than that club soda in the three years I've known him."_

_Danny just chuckled and shook his head. "I'm high on life, can't you tell?"_

"_Oh believe me, I know, amigo! You're enjoying every bit of being a single hombre. Lucky bastard. As for her," Carlos said, motioning to Elena. "She used to drink with the best of them, including me! But certain circumstances now prevent her—"_

"_Carlos!" Elena cautioned, shooting him a warning look. _

"_What baby? Danny's a friend. I want tell him," Carlos said proudly. "I'm going to be a Papi."_

_His eyes widening in complete surprise, Danny felt conflicted. He was happy for Carlos, but felt bad because Elena clearly wasn't ready to start telling people. "Congratulations," he responded genuinely as he looked at both of them across the table. "Really, that's…that's great."_

"_You bet your ass it is. Elena's going to be a gorgeous mom."_

_Sighing heavily, Elena forced a small smile. "Thanks. I'm excited, but it's still really early," she said as she gave Danny an appreciative glance before turning to Carlos with a more stern look. "Remember, honey, we agreed not to tell anyone."_

_Carlos looked at her and then leaned in quickly to give her a peck on the mouth. "I never see this guy," he said, motioning to Danny. "His active social life and big-wig FBI job keep him too busy to hang with his old buddy Carlos, so I want to take this opportunity to share the best news I've had in a long, long time."_

_Hearing Carlos's rationale, Elena seemed to lighten a bit. _

_Danny laughed again. "You think I'm busy? Wait till you guys have a kid. Your lives are going to change big time."_

_Elena met Danny's eyes again, silently agreeing and showing the overwhelmed feeling she'd obviously been worrying about. _

"_No worries, man. We'll handle it," Carlos replied. "As soon as I get this one to marry me, all will be good."_

"_Okay, now," Elena said as she shot another warning look, while still smiling, over to Carlos. "I let you tell about the baby. Anything else related to our relationship isn't up for discussion tonight."_

"_Yeah, give her a break Carlos," Danny said, trying to ease Elena's discomfort._

_Just as Carlos was about to respond, his cell phone rang. Taking his cell phone from his pocket, he looked at the display and frowned. "I gotta take this. Be back in minute. Don't talk about me," he said as he stood up and walked away. _

"_No chance of that," Danny remarked as he looked at Elena with a reassuring smile. "I'm sorry about that…if you were embarrassed. I promise, your secret is safe with me."_

_Elena shrugged. "It's okay. I should know by now that Carlos can't keep his mouth shut. As long he doesn't tell my parents, it will be okay. I'm still trying to figure out what to tell them."_

"_I'm betting after any initial shock, they'll be incredibly happy to be abuelos."_

"_You're right, I'm sure you're right," she replied, clearly appreciating his easy-going, supportive tone. "Doesn't make telling them any easier, though."_

_The waitress arrived and set down their drinks and then asked if they wanted to order appetizers. They declined, deciding to wait for Carlos. After the waitress walked away, they look at each other hesitantly, not sure of what to talk about since they were essentially strangers, while they took sips of their drinks. _

_Finally, Elena spoke. "So tell me, what's the bureau like? We work with agents on federal drug cases all the time. They always seem so serious and rigid. But you? Not so much."_

_Danny laughed. "Well, I'm off the clock. When we go in the building, we morph into emotionless, generic G-men."_

"_I doubt that," Elena responded with a smile. _

"_No, really, I like it. I think it's all about where you work. I work Missing Persons, so we're a little less buttoned up. We deal with a lot families who need hand-holding and communication, so I guess I'm more easy-going."_

"_Mmmm. You know I've thought about it. Applying to the FBI. I've thought about it a lot actually."_

"_Really? You're not happy in Vice?"_

_Shrugging, Elena motioned to the skimpy outfit under her jacket. "There are things I like, but more often than not, I'm asked to spend most of my time working a corner for information. That's getting kind of old, but it's hard to make people see you in a different light."_

"_Something tells me, they won't make you work on a corner in a few months," he comments, referring to her pregnancy. _

_Nodding, Elena smiled. "Right, but then they'll just chain me to a desk and treat me like a porcelain doll. I just think joining the FBI would be a fresh start…a way to continue in law enforcement, but maybe force people to let me use my brain instead of…you know," she said, motioning to her outfit again. "I just feel like there's something more out there for me."_

"_A fresh start, huh? That's funny. I didn't start out as a cop. I was in law school…trying to become a lawyer, but I saw the FBI as a fresh start as well. I never really considered law enforcement as an option, but the FBI had recruiters come to my school. I filled out an application as a back-up plan, but it ended up saving my life. It provided a lot of structure to me at a time when I needed it the most."_

_Looking apprehensive, Elena ran a hand through her hair. "So they want lawyers? I probably couldn't even get an interview. I went to college while I was a patrol officer and barely made it through."_

"_Oh, I wouldn't say that. They hire people from all different backgrounds. We have an ex-NYPD cop on our team. If it's something you're considering, you should definitely go for it. I could help with the application or I could ask around—"_

_Shaking her head, Elena leaned forward as she laid a hand on his arm. "No, no, I appreciate it, but now really isn't the right time. Especially now. I never thought I'd be in the position…having a baby…at this point in my life, but it kind of puts me in a holding pattern. But thank you for talking to me about it," she said as she gave his arm a gentle squeeze before letting go. _

_Her touch was quick, but his reaction to it was unmistakable. He couldn't help but be attracted to her, but of course, she was a friend's girlfriend. All the good ones were taken. Just as Danny was about to respond, Carlos returned to the table._

"_Danny, my man, have I got a surprise for you!"_

_Both Danny and Elena looked up at the same time to see Jennie from the records room trailing behind Carlos. She'd changed from her uniform into skintight jeans and a halter top. _

"_Jennie saw me outside talking on the phone. She came up to me and said how nice it was to meet you today, so I invited her join us," Carlos said as he usher Jennie into the seat next to Danny. _

_Danny just smiled as he exchanged an uncomfortable glance with Elena before turning his attention to the young woman next to him. _

"_Hey."_

"_Hey, I hope you don't mind," Jennie said in a light whimsical tone_

"_Not at all," Danny responded, forcing his most charming smile. He didn't want to be rude, but in all honestly, he would have rather had just continued talking with Elena. _

_They spent the next hour listening Carlos tell crazy stories from his old days and Jennie chime in with vapid, nonsensical thoughts. Discreetly, Danny would exchange weary glances with Elena. As the evening wore on, he could tell that Elena was getting more and more tired. Since Carlos seemed oblivious to her occasional stifled yawns, Danny spoke up. _

"_Hey, listen, it's getting late," he said as he glanced knowingly at Elena. "I should probably head home."_

_Eyeing him gratefully, Elena quickly agreed. "Si, I'm ready to head home, too."_

_Rolling his eyes dramatically, Carlos sighed. "What are you guys, like 50? I was thinking we could go to that club down the street."_

_Jennie quickly nodded and started to speak, but Danny spoke up before she could get the words out. _

"_Nah, man. I've had a long week. It was great to see you, though. And it was nice meet you," he said as he looked at Elena and then quickly remembered Jennie. "And you, too."_

_They left the bar and walked outside. Danny held his hand up to hail a cab as Carlos answered his ringing cell phone. _

"_Hey, are you going downtown?" Jennie asked as a cab slowed to a stop at the curb. _

_Danny nodded. "Yeah, downtown."_

"_Mind if I tag along?" she asked in a sultry tone as she took a step towards him. _

_Regarding her for a moment, Danny smiled slightly as he opened the back door to the cab. "Sure," he replied as he motioned for her to get in. As he did this, his eyes met Elena's. She was standing in front of him with her arms crossed with a slight smile on her face. _

"_Bye Elena," Jennie called out as she slid into the cab. _

"_Goodnight Jennie," Elena answered as she kept her eyes focused on Danny. _

_Taking a step forward, Danny gave Carlos a wave since he was still engrossed in a phone conversation. "You guys walking?" Danny asked as looked at Elena. _

_She nodded. "We're just a couple of blocks. I'll enjoy the walk. Carlos will use the time to finish his phone call. It's attached to his ear lately," she responded with a smile. "Hey, you were so nice to give me advice earlier, can I return the favor?" _

"_Absolutamente."_

"_Jennie has a thing for law enforcement guys and now I think she's branching out to the Feds. Just wanted to warn you…in case—"_

_Danny laughed. "Don't worry. I'll make sure she gets home safe and that's it. I'm not big on becoming a part of the NYPD vice gossip mill."_

"_Wise man," Elena responded. "Hey, really, thank you for your encouragement earlier. It was great to finally meet you."_

"_You, too. If you ever change your mind about the FBI, just call me. I'm happy to help. You'd be great. But I understand needing to slow things down now. Good luck to you…on the baby…everything."_

_Elena smiled. "Muchas gracias," she said as she took a step back towards Carlos._

"_Adios," Danny said as he gave her one final warm smile before sliding into the cab. As he sat down, he took a deep breath. As charmed as he was by Elena, he had to let it go. She was having a baby with one of his good friends. Carlos – he always has all the luck. _

As a hard, sting, freezing cold hit Danny's face and body, his eyes flew open. He immediately tried to move…to get up…to fight, but he quickly remembered that he was tied to a metal chair. They'd been doing this since he'd first woken up a couple of hours ago…beating him until he passed out and then waking him again by throwing ice water on his face and body.

When they first woke him up, he couldn't understand what they were doing or why they knocked him out and took him. But then he quickly realized Carlos's betrayal. In between blows to the face and cigarette burns to his body, the Sergeis informed him that Carlos made it clear that he and Danny were partners. Carlos had convinced the Sergeis that Danny helped him launder the money with federal resources. Apparently, Carlos had even provided the Sergeis with a dummy paper trail that implicated Danny.

Danny had to think quickly to determine the best way to attempt to survive this, giving Jack and the team a chance to find him. But after hours of pain and frustration, he was reaching the end of his rope. He'd gone from telling them he had no idea where the money was to needing to speak to Carlos to get the money. He'd tried everything he could to hold them off.

"Agent Taylor, I hate to ruin your pretty face, but if you don't tell me where my money is or where Carlos is, then you won't have much of a face left."

Shrugging, Danny tried to look up with half-closed eyes. "I don't know what to tell you anymore. I don't know where Carlos is or where your money is. You're wasting your time…and my time, for that matter."

In response to his flippant remark, he felt another hard blow to his jaw – the force so strong the metal chair tipped over causing him to hit the floor hard. The impact made his whole body convulse in pain.

As one of the men reached down to pull the chair upright again, Danny noticed a man entering the room. He approached the Sergei brother who had just asked him the question and handed him something that looked like a small picture. Sergei turned toward Danny as he carefully regarded the picture.

"Agent Taylor, we don't like to do this, but you're leaving us no choice. We don't like to get our families…loved ones…involved in our business."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Danny asked, feeling a sense of fear as Sergei approached him again.

"When you wouldn't talk, you forced us to go through your things. It seems you and Carlos share much more than just business partners," Sergei stated ominously as he turned the picture toward Danny so he could see it.

As soon as Danny's eyes focused on the picture, he felt his heart drop to his stomach. It was a picture of him, Elena and Sophie that he kept tucked in the back of his wallet. They'd taken it in one of the photo booths. They were looking at each other in the photo, laughing…looking so happy together.

Shaking his head, Danny started to plead, "She has nothing to do with this. She doesn't know anything about this."

Sergei smiled. "Oh I know. Believe me, I won't go to a beautiful woman like her to ask for the money. She looks like a woman who could offer other enticements. If I can't get my money from you or Carlos, maybe I can get repayment from her in another way…from the cunt you both seem to care so much about."

Feeling a sense of dread and panic, Danny fought against ties that bound him to the chair. "Oh…God…don't…I'll kill you….you mother fucker….I'll kill you!"

This time, Sergei laughed. "That would be a neat trick, Agent Taylor. You'll be lucky to live long enough to watch me fuck her," Sergei paused as he stepped even closer to Danny and looked in his face. "My brother likes them younger," he whispered as he pointed to Sophie in the picture.

Screaming out, Danny lunged forward butting his head into Sergei's nose as hard as he could. As soon as he did it, Sergei stumbled backwards as he covered his nose. The two men rushed toward Danny. One pulled his hair back, extending his neck, as the other pulled out a gun and put it in Danny's open mouth.

Wide-eyed, Danny looked from one man to the other – knowing he was just moments away from death. His only thought was that he prayed that Jack and the team would keep Elena and Sophie safe.

"Don't kill him yet," Sergei said as he recovered and approached Danny again.

Danny could see the blood seeping from his nose as Sergei loomed above him.

"A bullet to the head would be too quick. Yes? We can do better than that. Yes?" Sergei said as the man pulled the gun out of Danny's mouth. "We're going to find your girlfriend and her daughter. And then we're going to come back with them so they can watch you burn alive. After that, we have our fun with them…and then…if we still haven't gotten our money from your friend Carlos…we'll shoot them in the head."

Feeling helpless as one of the men kept a grip on his hair, Danny couldn't help the tears coming to his eyes. "I'll get you the money. Just let me make a phone call. I can get you the money…I just need to make a phone call. Please…please," Danny begged.

"Look at this, the tough FBI man cries," Sergei laughed. "Your opportunity to get us the money is over. We're done here," Sergei finished as he walked away. "When we get back, you burn."


	32. Chapter 32

Note: And so it continues! Writing action stuff is not my strong suit, so sorry if this chapter isn't any good. I promise this story will end eventually. Just a chapter or two left. Thanks for reading, reviewing and being incredibly patient!

* * *

8 hours missing

"Danny? Danny?" Jack repeated, his voice panicked. "Where are you?"

"I don't know…I…I have no idea, but—"

"Danny, stay on the line. Martin is working on tracing the call right now," Jack explained as he met Martin's eyes. As soon as the call came in, Martin was on the phone to Tech to get them to trace the call from Jack's cell phone. "We'll find you. Just stay on the line."

"I can't…I can't…Jack."

"Danny—"

"Listen to me. Please…you have to make sure Elena and Sophie are safe!" Danny interrupted, his voice frantic. "They're coming after them. Are they still at the office?"

"Don't worry about them. They're both here. They're safe," Jack reassured him.

"No, they're not. You have to protect them, Jack," Danny reiterated, his voice betraying him with fatigue and emotion. "Promise me…promise me…no matter what happens…I have to go….they're coming. I can't find a way out of here."

"No, no, Danny. Keep the phone line open! I'm putting my phone on mute so they won't hear us…just keep this line open."

"I'll try. But—"

Silence.

Jack hit the mute button and the speaker button on his phone. After a moment of silence, he heard something shuffle on Danny's end of the line. Then he heard distant voices. Looking up at Martin, he asked, "Anything on the trace?"

"He's using a cell phone. They're still triangulating the signal. They haven't landed on a cell tower yet," Martin replied, sounding more and more frustrated.

"Tell Tech to call me on my other phone. You get Samantha—"

Before Jack could finish, they heard louder voices on Danny's end of the line.

"_Agent Taylor, you've been a bad boy. You strangled one of my best men," a heavily-accented voice said followed by a loud thud. "But I admire your perseverance!"_

After the noise, Jack and Martin winced as they heard Danny cry out in pain.

"_It seems you won't get to stay alive to see your amore," the Russian voice said. _

There was silence for a moment, and then they heard the man say something in Russian. Jack winced as he heard the words.

"What is it, Jack?" Martin asked, his voice fearful.

"Get Sam and get on the road," Jack commanded. "We have to get Danny out of there now! He just ordered someone to bring in gasoline."

XXX

"Sam! Come with me," Martin said, as he grabbed his jacket and keys from his desk. "We may be close to getting a location."

Opening her desk drawer, Sam grabbed her gun. "Let's go."

"Martin, what is it?" Vivian asked as she walked into the bullpen.

"Danny called Jack. He's actually still on the line. We're tracing the call, but it's a cell phone. Sam and I are going to get in the car so Tech can guide us in the right direction."

"Is he…is he okay?" Vivian asked.

Martin shook his head as he started to walk out of the bullpen. "He's being held somewhere, but he managed to get away long enough to find a cell phone. They found him, though. Go to Jack's office. He'll fill in the blanks," he said as he caught up with Samantha at the elevator.

Walking quickly, Vivian made her way to Jack's office and walked in the door. Her heart sank as she took in Jack's pained, emotional expression.

"What is it, Jack?" she asked, feeling more and more desperate.

"Tech tracked the cell phone to a tower, but they still haven't found an exact location."

"Is Danny still on the line?" Vivian asked as she looked at the phone on his desk.

"Yes," Jack nodded, "But I don't know—"

"What's going on Jack?" Elena called out as she charged into his office. "Sam and Martin just ran out of here."

"Elena, you shouldn't—"Jack started but was interrupted by more Russian voices coming from the speaker phone followed by Danny's voice.

"_Please…don't! Don't do this! You don't have to do this! I'll get you the money! I will," Danny pleaded._

"Dios Mio!" Elena cried. "Oh my God…Danny—"she called out as she rushed towards the desk to pick up the phone.

Before she could get there, Jack moved to the other side of his desk to stop her. Taking her arms, he pulled her away towards the door to his office.

"Viv…get on my other phone. As soon as tech gives you a location, come get me. Martin and Sam are patched in to Tech as well. They'll hear the location as soon as it comes," he explained as he physically pulled her to the door. "Come on, Elena. Let's get you out of here."

"No…no…Jack…" Elena pleaded.

But Jack didn't listen to her pleas. Instead, he physically pulled her out of the office and closed the door quickly.

Vivian picked up the Jack's desk phone and put it to her ear, but her eyes were transfixed on Jack's cell phone. She could hear Danny's muffled cries coming from the phone, but she had no idea what they were doing to him. She could hear the Russian voices talking and even laughing in the background. Her heart racing, she spoke. "We need that location NOW! Right NOW!"

XXXXXXX

After pulling Elena out of his office, Jack held her arms to stop her from moving. "You have to calm down. You have to stay calm. We're doing everything we can to find him," he said, doing the best he could to reassure her while trying to hold himself together.

"I know that, but I can help. Let me talk to him. Let me go out there…let me—"

Jack shook his head as he forced Elena to look him in his eyes. "Listen to me very carefully! The whole reason Danny called…it wasn't to tell us where to find him. It was because he needed to tell me that you and Sophie are in danger. They're looking for you…probably to punish Carlos and to torture Danny. You have to understand this, Elena. We have to keep you safe until we can bring the Sergeis down. It's the only way. It's all Danny cares about at the point, so I'm not going to—"

"They're killing him, aren't they?" Elena cried. "They're killing him!"

"We're doing everything we can to get there in time. Everything—"

"Mami, why are you crying?" a small voice asked from behind them.

Hearing Sophie's voice, Elena sobbed once more in Jack's arms before turning towards her daughter. Wiping her eyes, Elena leaned to down to meet Sophie's eyes. "I'm just a little sad, baby."

"Is it Danny?" Sophie asked, her voice sounding frightened.

Jack sighed heavily as he looked at the little girl's face. He could see that she was piecing together what was going on.

Elena shook her head as she tried to regain her composure. "Don't worry, baby. Everything is going to be okay," she said as she ushered Sophie back to the conference room. Before entering the conference room, Elena looked back at Jack. "Call me as soon as you know anything, please Jack."

Jack just nodded as she entered the room and the door closed behind her.

"We have a location," Vivian said as she walked out of his office and handed Jack his cell phone. "It's a warehouse under construction in Ridgeview, New Jersey. Patrol units have been dispatched. Martin and Sam are ten minutes out. We lost the cell phone connection with Danny a couple of minutes ago. Do you want the patrol units to go in?"

Shaking his head, Jack walked with Vivian to the elevator. "What was happening before the connection died?"

Vivian shrugged as they entered the elevator. "They were speaking Russian. At first Danny was pleading with them, but it went quiet. No gun shots, though."

Leaning against the elevator wall, Jack took a moment to consider their next move. Vivian didn't know that he'd heard the Russians talking about gasoline. They could be burning him right at that moment. Taking out his cell phone, he dialed Martin's number. Before Martin answered, Jack said, "Tell the patrol units to stay put and then call in SWAT. If Martin and Sam can't get to him and he's still alive, maybe we can negotiate him out of there."

"Fitzgerald," Martin answered.

"You're close?" Jack asked, not mincing words.

"Just a few minutes away, Jack," Martin responded. "Are we going in?"

"You and Sam go in to check things out. Take it slow and easy. We don't want to spook them. Remember, they may have some kind of fuel."

Jack could feel Vivian's staring at him as he said those words.

"I remember," Martin responded, his voice sounding worried and anxious.

"Just see if you can get a handle on where he is. If you see an opportunity to get him out of there, then go for it. I trust your judgment. The patrol units will be there for backup if you need them."

"Got it. We'll call you with an update after we assess the situation."

After Jack ended the call, he traded glances with Vivian as they stepped off the elevator at the parking level.

"They'll get to him, Jack," Viv said encouragingly, knowing Jack needed to hear it. "We'll get him out of there."

Jack just nodded, not able to respond, worried about the state Martin and Sam would find him in if they did find him alive.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

After conferring with the patrol units a block away, Martin and Sam quickly and quietly made their way to the back door of the building. They entered through a back door of the building with their weapons drawn and started to walk down a short hallway. Before getting very far, Sam grabbed Martin's arm and motioned to the entrance of a stairwell.

As they moved into the stairwell, Martin stopped in his tracks when he saw a fire extinguisher case on the wall. Remembering the Sergeis plan for Danny, he walked toward the extinguisher as he shrugged off his FBI windbreaker.

Realizing what he was doing, Sam took the windbreaker from him and held it up in front of the glass case. As they both looked away, Martin firmly, but quietly cracked the glass with the butt of his gun. Sam did her best to capture the shards of glass in the windbreaker so they didn't make too much noise. When she'd cleared enough glass way, Martin reached in, opened the cabinet door and pulled out the extinguisher.

Now armed with their guns, as well as the extinguisher, they slowly made their way up the stairs. After reaching the second floor, they began to hear voices – the unmistakable Russian voices. Martin hoped that he'd hear Danny's voice as well, but he couldn't hear anything else.

As they made their way to the third floor, the voices became even louder. Martin took the lead and took a quick glance through the doorway. All he could see were two men standing just inside an office a few yards down the hall. He held two fingers up to let Samantha know and then he jerked his chin to let her know that they were going in.

Taking her phone out, Sam entered a "3" for the third floor and pressed send to fire off a text message to one of the patrolmen outside. The text message alerted them to come in and for two to cover the exits and the other two to come to the third floor and back them up.

Taking a deep breath, Martin started to move down the hall with Sam following closely. As they got closer to the office, Martin and Sam stayed close to the wall to attempt to stay obstructed from view. Getting a better angle to look in the room, Martin saw two more men and then he saw a quick flash of someone slumped over in a chair. Taking another, longer look, Martin confirmed it was Danny. His heart practically pumping out of his chest, he could barely contain himself as he witnessed the thugs pouring gasoline on an unconscious Danny.

Martin took a second to release the safety valve on the extinguisher, as he motioned to Sam that there were four men in all. Just then, the two patrolmen came through the doorway of the stairwell. Martin motioned for them to go down the hall and enter the office from the other side. As they moved into position, Martin nodded to Samantha to wait for his signal.

"Wake him up!" a heavily accented voice called out. "This won't be any fun to watch if he sleeps through it."

"Come on, Agent Taylor, wake up," another voice said. "Take a whiff of this," he said, obviously holding something under Danny's nose.

"Aughhhh, what…what are you…"Danny struggled to talk.

"Do you smell that, Agent Taylor? You're swimming in gasoline. I light this and you're pretty face burns. Even if you would live through it, you would wish yourself dead," the man said as he laughed sinisterly. "Any last words?"

Martin couldn't make it out, but Danny was murmuring something. Realizing they had to get in there now, Martin motioned to Sam and then went through the doorway.

"Freeze! FBI!" Martin called out as Sam covered him in the door.

On the other side of the room, the patrol officers yelled "Freeze!"

As soon as they came in the door, two of the Russians pulled their weapons. Before even getting them raised, Sam took one Russian out while one of the patrol men took out another. One of the other men started running toward the fire escape door as the other flicked open his lighter. Just as Martin pulled the trigger to take down the man with the lighter, his lighter floated as if in slow motion towards Danny. As quickly as he could, Martin squeezed the handle of the extinguisher as he rushed towards Danny. Right as the lighter was about to land in Danny's lap, the yellow foam from the extinguisher covered Danny – essentially neutralizing the lighter and gasoline that covered him.

Samantha secured the weapons of the fallen Russians and the two patrolmen took off in pursuit of the one that was going down the fire escape. Martin went to Danny and started to cut through the binds on his hands that were tied behind his back. After he finished, he gave his knife to Sam so she could remove the binds from his feet. All the while, Danny was still murmuring something over and over – obviously in shock.

"Danny…Danny…we got you. You're safe, man," Martin said as he and Samantha covered his bruised and battered, bare torso with their windbreakers. But Danny still murmured and finally Martin was able to make it out.

_Dios mío, me pesa de todo corazón haberte ofendido, y te pido perdón por todos mis pecados, no tanto porque ellos atraen sobre mí las penas y el infierno, sino porque te han crucificado a Ti, amante Salvador Jesús, y porque han ofendido a Ti, amante Salvador Jesús, y porque han ofendido tu bondad infinita. Propongo firmemente, con la ayuda de tu gracia, confesarme, cumplir la penitencia, y enmendar mi vida._

Martin's Spanish wasn't nearly as good as Danny's or Elena's but he was able to make out the traditional Catholic confessional prayer. Martin and Sam realized that Danny still thought he was going to die and was asking for forgiveness of his sins.

"Danny, Danny, you're okay," Samantha said she helped Martin lay Danny on the floor and then she rested his head in her lap. "You're okay. It's all going to be okay now," she said as she wiped the yellow foam off his face and hair.

Finally, Danny's eyes met hers and then Martin's. Suddenly, he let out a slightly panicked gasp of breath. "Elena….Sophie…"

"They're still in the conference room. Jack won't let them out of the building until he's sure it's safe. I promise you, Danny," Martin assured him.

And then Danny released a grateful sigh. "Good, good," he said as he closed his eyes.

"Danny, you need to stay with us. Keep your eyes open. You could have a concussion. Just stay with us until the ambulance gets here," Samantha said as she continued to stroke his hair.

Danny nodded as he opened his eyes.

"Agent Fitzgerald," a patrolman said as he approached them. "We apprehended the other Russian as he came down the fire escape. We have him secured in a car. The ambu should be here any second."

"Thanks…thanks to all of you for your help," Martin said as he stood up. "I'm gonna call Jack," he said as he met Danny's eyes. "And then one of us will call Elena to let her know your okay."

Danny just nodded again as he struggled to maintain consciousness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Running her hands through her hair in frustration, Elena leaned forward on the sofa as she tried to keep her eyes focused on Sophie. Sophie was directly in front of her, sitting in a chair and watching television. Elena didn't feel like she could take her eyes off of her because if she did, then she'd be out the door – trying to do something to help Danny. The only thing that kept her grounded was knowing how much Sophie needed her and how much Danny had sacrificed to try and protect them.

Hearing a tap on the door, Elena turned her head to see Jack walking in with Vivian right behind him.

Before he even uttered a word, she knew.

She knew Danny was okay because Jack had a genuine smile on his face.

Rising quickly, Elena said, "Un momento, mamita. I'll be right back." As soon as she met Jack in the doorway and let it shut behind her, she asked, "Is he okay?"

Jack nodded, his smile still firmly in place. "He's banged up pretty badly, but he was awake when they put him in the ambulance. He's en route to St. Andrew's."

"Oh thank God," Elena said as she reached out and hugged Jack. "Thank God," she repeated as she reached over and hugged Viv as well. "I have to see him…I have—"

"I'll take you," Jack said as he stepped back.

"And I'll stay here with Sophie," Vivian said. "We still need to keep an eye on her and you until we get a handle on where Carlos is. The Sergei brothers are dead, so we don't think you're in any more danger from them, though."

"Are you sure, Viv? I know you want to see him, too," Elena responded.

Vivian nodded. "Trust me, after all he's been through, he'll want to see your face to make sure you're okay. I'll stop by later, though."

"We don't even know how soon he'll be able to see visitors. I'm sure they'll do x-rays. He may need surgery to repair any internal bleeding from the beatings he took—" Jack started to explain, but then stopped with he saw Elena wince.

"What…what happened to him exactly?" she asked hesistantly.

Jack and Vivan exchanged a concerning glance, not sure whether Elena was ready to hear all the details. Vivian shrugged slight, knowing that Elena would find out eventually.

"He was tied to a chair and beaten…over and over. At the end, right before Martin and Sam got there, they soaked him in gasoline. They planned on burning him alive," Jack explained in as gentle a tone as he could muster.

Covering her mouth with her hand, Elena cried, "Dios Mio."

"The important thing is that he's okay. We got him back," Vivian reassured her.

Elena nodded as she met their eyes. "I need to see him. Right now."


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing this story! This is the final chapter, but I do plan on a sequel that will tie up loose ends and introduce another little plot line I have brewing in my head. Stay tuned! (Oh and I'm very close to posting a missing scene fic for "Once Lost". Stay tuned!)

* * *

"Martin!" Sam called out when she finally spotted him walking out of the ER waiting room. After they'd secured Danny, Sam stayed behind to wrap up at the crime scene while Martin road with Danny in the ambulance. "How is he?"

Martin met her in the hallway and then ushered her into a seat. "He's hanging in there. They just stabilized him and now they're taking him to x-ray. If they find any internal bleeding, they'll take him straight to surgery. He definitely has several broken ribs and pretty badly dislocated shoulder."

"What about his head? It looked like he took some hard blows--" she asked, her voice full of concern.

"You know Danny; he has a hard head," Martin quipped with a small smile. "They ran some tests in the ER. His pupils were reactive, but they'll take an x-ray to make sure. They were finishing with stitching up his face when I went in there."

"Were you able to talk to him?" Sam asked.

"A little—"

"Martin! Martin! How is he?" Elena called out from behind him.

Sam and Martin turned to find Elena and Jack walking quickly toward them.

"Is he okay? Where is he?" she asked again, the franticness evident in her voice.

"They just took him to x-ray. They'll know more once they can see if there's any internal bleeding, but he seemed…he seemed okay when I talked to him," Martin explained in a cautious tone.

_Martin slipped into the ER examination room after he saw that the flurry of doctors and nurses who had been attending to Danny had walked out. Now only one doctor and nurse were by his bedside. _

_"How is he?" Martin asked, his voice hesitant._

_"He feels like crap," Martin heard Danny say from behind the nurse and doctor attending to him. The doctor was finishing up suturing around Danny's eye and lip. _

_Martin smiled upon hearing Danny's weak quip. _

_"Sir, you really shouldn't be in here," the nurse said as she approached Martin. "We need to make sure he's stable—"_

_Taking out his badge, Martin explained. "I'd just like to talk to him for a minute before you take him to surgery—"_

_"He may not need it," the doctor piped in as he started to walk toward the door. "Considering what he's been through, for now, he seems to be out of the woods. But we'll know more after we take x-rays." The doctor opened the door, before giving the nurse his final orders. "You can give them a few minutes to talk and then get him up to x-ray please."_

_The nurse nodded as the doctor walked out. "I'll be right outside if you need anything," the nurse said to Danny before walking out the door. _

_Finally, Martin's attention focused on Danny. His face was bruised and stitched. The area between his neck and shoulder was a scary mixture of red and purple. Danny held his arm gingerly across his stomach, as if protect his rib cage. His wrists were bandaged as well. _

_"You look like hell," Martin said as he pulled a chair towards the bed and sat down. _

_Danny attempted to smile, but just couldn't do it without wincing in pain. "I'd look a lot worse if you hadn't thought to bring your fire extinguisher. What the hell made you think to do that?"_

_"Jack heard them over the phone…talking about gasoline. Sam and I saw the extinguisher on our way up the stairs. I figured I should be prepared."_

_His eyes widened for a moment, realizing the levity of what could have happened. "Thank you, Fire Marshall Bill. A couple seconds later…and…"_

_Shaking his head, Martin leaned forward. "Don't mention it. I think I owed you one anyway."_

_The two men sat in silence for a few moments, not really sure what to say next. But Martin knew he had to get some kind of statement about what happened from Danny. _

_"How did you get away from them? How did you get the phone?"_

_"I didn't so much get away as they left the room," Danny responded, his voice scratchy and weak. "I'd been trying to cut through the ropes on my wrists using a sharp edge on the chair. Finally when they left the room, I was able to get the rope off one of my wrists."_

_Martin eyes drifted to the bandages on Danny wrists. Clearly, cutting through the ropes caused them to bleed. _

_"I tried to get out of the room, but the door was locked. It was different from the room I was in when you guys got there. So I waited until someone came back. Thankfully, it was just one of them. When he came through the door, I came up behind him and wrapped the rope around his neck," Danny stated, obviously trying to be matter-of-fact, but his voice still betraying him with emotion. "I killed him…with my bare hands," he said as he glanced down at his hands. _

_"Danny—" Martin started._

_"Before they left me in that room, they showed me a picture of Elena and Sophie. And they said that they were going to find them…and…and…" Danny couldn't finish. _

_"You did what you had to do."_

_Danny nodded. "I grabbed his phone, but I couldn't find a gun on him. All I could think of was that the other guys were on their way to find Elena and Sophie. I wasn't thinking clearly. I couldn't find a way out, so I called Jack. Eventually, they found me. I tried to get away, but I was so weak."_

_"You kept the phone on, though. And that's what lead us to you."_

_"Thank God," Danny mumbled before looking up at Martin. "Where is Elena now?"_

_"She's on her way with Jack. Viv is staying at the office with Sophie. We'll keep a close eye on them until we find Carlos."_

_"But the Sergeis are dead, right? They can't—"_

_"They're gone. You don't have to worry about them anymore."_

_Danny nodded. "What about Carlos? Any leads?"_

_Martin shook his head. "We think he left the country."_

_Sighing heavily, Danny closed his eyes. "He'll haunt us forever."_

_"No, he won't. We'll find him. We will," Martin replied in the strongest tone he could muster. _

"All things considered, I think he's doing remarkably well," Martin said, after relaying the earlier conversation he'd had with Danny.

Shaking her head, Elena walked over to a chair and sat down. Wiping a few tears from her eyes, she struggled to maintain her composure. Seeing that she was in distress, Sam moved over to her and sat down next to her.

"Danny's going to be okay…just like Martin said," she reassured Elena.

"He really did seem okay…I mean, other than wanting to make sure you and Sophie are safe, he seemed to get through all of this…somehow," Martin piped in. "I think he'll be even better when he sees you."

Looking up at Martin, Elena gave him a small smile. "I hope so," she responded quietly. "But how can this really be over until we find Carlos?"

"His mug is all over the wires," Jack answered. "He can't hide forever."

"Believe me, Jack, I don't think he will hide," Elena responded, her voice fearful. "When he finds out Danny is still alive, he'll—"

Jack took out his cell phone. "Carlos won't get near Danny...or you and Sophie ever again. I'll make sure of that. I'm going to make a few phone calls to see if I can light a fire under the DEA. I'll see where we're at with tracking him down. And I'll arrange for a uniform to come down here and guard Danny's door while he's recuperating," Jack said as he turned to walk outside to make the phone calls.

Taking a deep breath, Elena leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes as Sam put her hand on her back to reassure her.

Deciding to sit as well, Martin sat down next to Sam. They sat there in relative silence for over an hour. Jack returned with no news on Carlos, but he did inform them that he'd gotten a hold of Sylvia to let her know about Danny, but she was out town. Then Jack called Raffi at the prison, just in case he'd heard something on the news. After those updates, they would occasionally speak, but mostly they were lost in their own thoughts about all that Danny had just been through. Just when Martin was ready to give up and ask the nurse's station about Danny's status, a doctor approached them.

"I'm looking for the family of Danny Taylor?"

"That's us," Elena quickly replied as she stood up. "Is he okay?"

"Are you his wife?" the doctor asked skeptically as he looked at the group who were obviously not his immediate family.

"I'm his girlfriend and these are his co-workers and friends and we're the closest thing he has to family here…so please doctor…please just tell us—"

The doctor gave Elena a reassuring smile. "You're Elena, I presume? We had to put him under anesthesia to do a couple of minor procedures to reset his jaw and shoulder. When he was coming out of the anesthesia, he kept saying your name."

Elena smiled…her first real smile since she'd gotten to the hospital. "So he's okay? He's going to be okay."

The doctor nodded. "No internal bleeding. He'll just need rest and to stay off of his feet for a while, but there's no permanent damage."

"Thanks, Doc," Jack said.

"Yes, thank you," Elena repeated. "Can I see him?"

"He's still under sedation to combat the pain, but you can sit with him. He's on the third floor, room 316. But just one of you for now. He needs his rest," the doctor said as he started to walk away.

Elena turned and look around at her co-workers. "Do you mind if I—"

"Go Elena. We'll plan on seeing him tomorrow," Jack interrupted.

Taking a deep breath, Elena nodded. "Thanks. And Sophie? She needs to eat and—"

"Vivian is more than capable of taking care of her. Trust me. In fact, she's even offered to take Sophie to her house tonight, just to make sure she's safe. Carlos would never know to look for her there. Don't worry about Sophie tonight," Jack reassured her.

"Thank you…thank you all so much," Elena said before turning and heading toward the elevators.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

As Elena stepped off the elevator, she quickly made her way down the hall to room 316. Smiling slightly, she nodded as she flashed her badge to the uniformed policeman sitting on a chair just outside Danny's door.

Quietly, she opened the door and entered the darkened room. At first, all she could see was a lengthy form stretched out on the bed. As she moved closer, the sunlight streaming in from the crack in the curtain illuminated Danny's face. She stopped in her tracks when she saw the bruises: his eyes, his jawline, lips and nose were various shades of red and purpose. He had a bandage over his left eyebrow and under his lower lip. Elena's eyes filled with tears, just thinking about all he'd endured to get those bruises. Slowly, she moved closer, pulled up a chair and sat next to his bed. His eyes were closed. She knew he was sleeping…she recognized the rhythm of his breathing from the few times they'd been able to actually spend a whole night together. Reaching out, she took his free hand. His other hand was hidden in a sling that protected his shoulder.

She sat there with him for what seemed like hours, until the sun streaming in the curtains began to dim. She began to drift in and out of sleep as her head rested against his hand. Suddenly, she felt him stir – his thumb caressing her cheek ever so slightly.

Lifting her head up, she smiled when she saw his eyes – peaking out through swollen lids.

"Hey," she said quietly.

Sighing slightly, Danny returned a small smile of his own. "Hey."

"How are you feeling?" she said as she squeezed his hand.

Attempting to shrug with his good shoulder, Danny squeezed her hand back. "Never better."

Laughing lightly, Elena shook her head as her eyes filled with tears. "Danny…Danny…I'm so sorry—"

"Don't," he said, squeezing her hand again as he moved his head to meet her eyes. "This isn't your fault."

Rolling her eyes, Elena wiped a few tears away. "Danny, it's safe to say you wouldn't be—" before she could finish, the door opened.

"Mr. Taylor, how are we feeling this evening?" the nurse asked as she brought in a tray and set it on the tray table in front of him.

"Um…feeling okay, but definitely not hungry," Danny replied weakly.

"Well, you had your last IV bag this afternoon. The doctor says you should try to eat a little something," the nurse replied as she took the top off the tray to reveal a bowl of something that looked like broth with unknown bits floating in it. The nurse picked up the spoon as if she intended on feeding the soup to him. "Just a few bites."

Glancing at Elena, Danny frowned.

"Tell you what?" Elena said as she smiled at the nurse. "I'll make sure he eats."

"Actually, I need to chart what he takes in and then I need to take care of some other 'housekeeping' issues, so as much as I know you want to help your boyfriend, I'm afraid I have to insist," the persistent nurse replied.

Turning toward Danny, she glanced at him helplessly.

Smiling, Danny shook his head. "How long have you been in here with me?"

Elena glanced up at the clock on the wall. "A few hours."

"Why don't you let the nurse here give you a break for a few minutes?"

"That's probably best," the nurse interjected. "This will go faster if he's not distracted."

Nodding, Elena stood up. "Okay, I'll go call Sophie and I'll let everyone know you're awake."

"While you're at it, you should get something to eat as well," Danny replied in a concerned tone.

Elena smiled. "I'll see you in a bit," she said as she touched his hand one more time before turning to leave.

Walking out into the hall, Elena looked up at the signs to see where the cafeteria would be. Seeing that it was down the hall on her left, she made her way in that direction. As she entered the cafeteria, she took her phone out and dialed Vivian's number.

"Johnson," Vivian answered.

"Hey Viv," Elena responded.

"How's he doing?" Vivian asked.

"He just woke up. The nurse is tending to him and making him eat something. He seems to be doing fine."

"That's good news. Great news. I'll call Jack, Martin and Sam to let them know. They were going to steer clear of the hospital until tomorrow, but I know they'll want to be updated."

"Great, thank you. How's Sophie?"

"She's an angel. I just fed her dinner and now Reggie is playing Wei bowling with her. She's doing fine. I told her about Danny, though."

Elena's breath caught a little. "What did you say?"

"That he was hurt, but going to be okay. And that you wanted to be at the hospital with him, which was why she was with me."

"Did she ask why she was with you and not her grandmother?" Elena asked, knowing that it was much safer for Sophie to be with Vivian since Carlos was still out there.

"Actually, she didn't question that at all. She just asked if I could take her to see Danny tomorrow. I told her we'd have to check with you. I don't know if you want Sophie to see Danny like that."

"I don't know, either, Vivian. His face…they beat him so badly," Elena said, her voice betraying her with emotion. "I'll try to hold her off for a couple of days, but I'll be there to pick her up in the morning. I just want to stay here with Danny tonight."

"I understand. Tell you what, I'll see if Martin or Sam can be there first thing tomorrow morning to relieve you – so Danny won't be alone. How does that sound?"

"That's perfect. I can't thank you enough, Vivian."

"My pleasure. Would you like to talk to Sophie?"

"Yes, please. See if you can tear her away from her game!"

Elena spoke to Sophie for a few minutes and made sure she was okay. Satisfied that Vivian had Sophie well under control, Elena decided to freshen up in the ladie's room and then ate a muffin in the cafeteria. After giving the nurse what she thought was sufficient amount of time, Elena made her way back to Danny's room.

As she approached Danny's room, she saw that the nurse was coming out. "Is he doing okay?" Elena asked.

"His vitals look good. He ate a little bit. Then we changed the bandages on his face and wrist. He'll most likely just go back to sleep. You know, we usually don't allow visitors—"

"I know you don't, but I just…I need to stay with him," Elena stammered. "I…I thought I'd lost him…and…I just—"

The nurse stepped forward and put her hand on Elena's arm. "I understand, honey. Go on in."

Smiling gratefully, Elena opened the door to Danny's room. He was sitting up in the bed, but his eyes were closed. As the door closed, he opened his eyes and smiled.

"You're back," he said.

"Of course I am," Elena replied as she walked over to the bed. "I called Vivian. Sophie's fine. She'll let everyone know that you're doing better and tomorrow don't be surprised if you're inundated with visitors!"

Danny nodded. "But tonight, it's just you right?" he asked hopefully.

"It's just me," she replied, taking his hand. "Hope that's okay."

Turning her hand in hands, he laced her fingers together. "It's more than okay. Did you eat something?"

Sighing, Elena leaned forward and lightly kissed him on the lips. "You shouldn't be worrying about me, mi amore. But yes, I did eat. How about you?"

"I humored the nurse. And then I got a good look at myself when I got up to go to the bathroom. I look like Frankenstein."

"You look pretty great to me," she said as she started sit in the chair next to bed. Before she could sit down, she felt him tug on her hand.

"We can do better than that," he said as he moved his body over slightly in the bed.

"Danny, I don't want to hurt you."

"I promise you won't, just come here," he said as he let go of her hand and patted the area next to him on the bed.

Shaking her head, Elena lowered the rail on the side of the bed as she slipped out of her shoes. Then as gently as she could, she slid into the bed next to him, curling herself next to his body and laying her head in the crook of his good arm. "Is this okay?" she asked.

Danny pressed the button on the side of the bed to lower them back a bit. "Yeah, it's good. I should warn you, I'm not going to last very long. The nurse gave me some more pain medication."

"Good, you need to sleep," Elena said as she snuggled next to him. Feeling him so close again was heaven, even in his weakened state. She immediately felt safe, comforted, and truly, just like she was where she belonged.

"Danny?" she whispered.

"Mmm-hmm," he answered.

"I have to tell you…I need you to know…" she stammered, not sure this was the right time.

"Need me to know what?" he asked as his arms tightened against her back.

Elena grasped his good hand in hers. "I need you to know how very much I love you. I don't know why you love me like you do, but I'm so grateful…and I love you more than words could ever say, mi amore."

She could almost hear the smile form on Danny's face. "I love you like I do because I can't imagine my life without you and Sophie."

They didn't say anything else before drifting off to sleep. Even though they both knew how much they loved one another, it didn't mean that their problems would go away. Carlos was still out there somewhere. Their only hope was that he wanted his freedom more than he wanted to make their lives miserable.

But this night wasn't about that. This night was about holding on to each other tightly and realizing how their loved had grown into something real and true and wonderful.

When Elena walked into Danny's life so many years ago, he'd had no idea of what she'd eventually bring to his life.

When Elena walked into the FBI office just a couple of years earlier, she never, ever would have thought that Danny would become such an integral part of hers and Sophie's lives.

Somehow, they'd found each other – Danny who wanted a family and someone to love him more than anything and Elena who needed someone she could trust and believe in completely.

* * *

End note: Sorry I didn't wrap up the Carlos thread. I don't know what I want to do with him yet! But I promise I'll figure it out in my next story!


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